Ramesh Budhial carved a slice of history for Indian surfing on Sunday, becoming the country’s first medallist at the Asian Surfing Championships after clinching bronze in the Open Men’s category in Chennai.

The 23-year-old, who had already broken new ground by reaching the medal round, posted a score of 12.60 to finish third in a fiercely contested final.

Korea’s Kanoa Heejae produced a masterclass to claim gold with 15.17 points, while Indonesia’s Pajar Ariyana took silver with 14.57. The Korean’s dominance did not end there, he also struck gold in the Under-18 boys’ category later in the day with a score of 14.33, ahead of China’s Shidong Wu (13.10) and Shulou Jiang (8).

For Budhial, the Chennai result was more than a personal milestone, it was a breakthrough moment for Indian surfing on the continental stage, signalling that the nation can hold its own against Asia’s finest.