Mangaluru, Mar 8 (PTI) Akash Pujar and Ravi Pujar gave a fine beginning to India bagging the top two spots in the Junior U16 race during first-ever India Paddle Festival here on Friday.
The local lad Akash walked away with the winner’s trophy with a timing of 43:04 minutes, while his cousin Ravi finished second stopping the clock at 47:24 minutes.
Jihoo Hwang from South Korea secured the third position, completing the race in 52:52 minutes.
“I have dedicated the past six months to continuous training, while also managing the academic pressure of being in the 10th standard. Despite those challenges, I ensure I do not pause my training and I guess that what paid off today,” said Akash after winning the race.
Akash will also be competing in the Men’s Open category on Saturday.
The second day of the festival will commence with a yoga session, followed by the heats and finals of the technical races for both men and women open categories.
Source: PTI News
