MANDREM: Arjun Motha made a strong comeback to win 5 of the 6 races today and pip former champion Varun Narayanan to the top spot of the Kite surfing National held at Mandrem beach on Tuesday.
Arjun sailed his heart out to keep Varun at bay whilst Varun used the strong 15 knot winds to his advantage.
Both kiteboard sailors sailed neck to neck and although Varun had better starts in 4 races, Arjun pushed him all the way and over took him in the final leg of the races to take the gun.
The two were tied at the end of the 9th race, and in the final tie breaker race, Arjun shot off to a perfect start, while Varun stumbled at the start.
Arjun held the lead from the start to the end, leaving Varun in his wake. Varun made a valiant effort to catch up, but Arjun held him off to win the race with a lead of barely 10 mtrs.
Philippe Dartnell of Goa made Goans proud by taking the third spot in the Men’s category, despite suffering from a pulled calf muscle. Philip raced bravely despite his handicap to beat back the strong challenge from Uli, Warner, Keona and Cabir. He, however, had the pride of winning the Championships in the Masters Category.
Derrick Menezes another podium contender had to retire after he had an equipment failure in the 6th race, missing out on the final 3 races.
Keona Rajani, the youngest kiteboarder in the championships was off colour today in the strong wind conditions. She dropped from the 2nd overall spot to 5th overall amongst the men and women. Keona however captured the Women’s National title, with Avishma Matta taking the second place.
The strong winds today were a bit overpowering for Keona, and she was unable to match her senior sailors at the starts.
