Lankan surfers make waves in the Maldives

Wednesday, 3 September 2014 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

After astounding local audiences with their immense creativity atop some monster waves along the country’s south and east coast, Sri Lanka’s best surfers strengthened their reputations with a breathtaking display against the Maldives’ own surfing top dogs during Red Bull Both Ways, an event which ran from 24-27 August.

The competition sought to discover the best surfer from a phenomenally skilled pool by carefully scrutinising each participant’s whole range of wave-riding artistry. The judging was done by a panel consisting of five Maldivian surfers affiliated to the Maldives Surfing Association (MSA). Despite the fact that the contest’s eventual winner was Maldivian surfer Iboo Areef, the other top three positions were occupied by Sri Lanka’s Asanka, Kalu and Milan respectively. Additionally, of the eight surfers who progressed to the event’s semifinals, seven were from Sri Lanka. This achievement is made even more impressive by the fact that the Lankan contingent was only 10 members strong. However, this select group was meticulously picked during Red Bull’s Ride My Wave contest, an initiative which pitted the best surfers from the nation’s east coast against their southern counterparts across two legs of action held on each of their home surfing territories. A comprehensive victory saw the East team win the trip to the Maldivian island of Thamburudhoo, the battleground for Red Bull Both Ways which offers some of the country’s most unique surf breaks.

The action unravelled in four stages, with the opening round featuring 24 competitors who were eventually pruned down to the four riders who took to the sea for the finals. The finals itself was divided into two heats and, with the winner of Red Bull Both Ways being provided with the rare opportunity of plying his trade across the famed waves of Miami, all four athletes were exceptionally motivated to prove their mastery of the ocean. The Maldives’ Iboo though seemed an extra degree more determined to blow his competition out of the turquoise water he so exhilaratingly manoeuvred across, setting the bar extraordinarily high during his first run before effortlessly clearing it in his next and final heat with a sublime performance.

Although the three Lankans facing off against him could not match his seamless execution and fearless enterprise, they compensated for it with a huge supply of heart. Sri Lanka’s top surfer Asanka pulled out all the tricks from his sizable arsenal to register strongly in his opening heat, before compatriot Kalu nearly overtook him with an impressive concluding flurry. Milan finished behind all the other finalists, but trod off the beach having earned the respect of the droves of surfing enthusiasts who had been privy to his unwavering resilience. For more information on Red Bull Both Way visit www.redbull.com/bothways