Kadal Kondattam 2025: Tamil Nadu Athletes Shine on Day 1 of India’s Top Ocean Sports Festival

Tuticorin (TN)- The opening day of Kadal Kondattam 2025, India’s premier ocean sports festival, witnessed a dominant performance by athletes from host state Tamil Nadu, who swept the medals across Kayaking and Stand-up Paddling categories.

Originally slated to begin on September 12 but delayed due to rough seas and unpredictable weather, the festival finally kicked off with Tamil Nadu athletes clinching 21 medals across Sub-junior, Senior, U-18 Boys, Girls’ Senior, and Men’s Open categories in Kayaking, as well as the Amateur Men’s and Girls’ Senior events in Stand-up Paddling.

The three-day festival is being organised at the scenic Muthu Nagar beach in Tuticorin by Aqua Outback, led by former National Kiteboarding Champion Arjun Motha, with support from Tamil Nadu Tourism and the state government.

Though adverse conditions disrupted the original opening day, participants engaged in practice runs, demonstration races, giant kite shows, and workshops on calisthenics and strength training, which attracted strong local interest.

Kayaking

• Sub-junior Boys: Anto Amirthan, Niranth, and Michael Rithik won gold, silver, and bronze.

• Senior Men: Manikandan M, Karuppasamy M, and Muthu R. topped the podium.

• U-18 Boys: Ragul claimed gold, followed by Thangasamy (silver) and Anto Amirthan (bronze), earning Amirthan a double medal tally.

• Girls’ Senior: Anaina (Aqua Outback) secured gold, with Vijaya Lakshmi and Priya Dharshini taking silver and bronze.

• Men’s Open: Ragul, Thangasamy, and Kanna finished first, second, and third.

Stand-up Paddling

• Amateur Men: Manikandan M, Karuppasamy M, and Muthu R. repeated their kayaking success with another podium sweep.

• Girls’ Open: Vijaya Lakshmi, Priya Dharshini, and Anaina took gold, silver, and bronze, each securing their second medal of the day.

The festival also featured Kiteboarding heats, with Arjun, Dylan, Karuppasamy, and Chitresh advancing to tomorrow’s finals.

Beyond the competitions, Kadal Kondattam 2025 aims to boost the local economy, empower coastal communities, and involve Tamil Nadu’s fishermen in the ocean sports ecosystem. The festival also highlights sustainable coastal living and ocean conservation.

With inputs from IANS