The Maldives Bodyboarding Association (MBBA) launched the "MTCC Burunu Shikaaru Bodyboarding Challenge 2022" on Wednesday, kicking off the organisation's first "Maldives National Bodyboarding League" in Male' City.
After a 7-year break since 2015, the MBBA is back this year with a national competition on the locally famous wave of "Raalhugandu".
The two-day competition counted 39 athletes entered in the Men's Open, 13 boys in the Junior division, and the event also saw four women take part in the country's historic "Women's Open" bodyboarding category.
Although windy conditions turned up from time to time, competitors generally enjoyed glassy conditions with waves up to 1 m.
The event started with a highly competitive first round of the Men's Open, followed by the Junior Men's and Women's Opens, before finally closing the first day with three Repo Heats from Round 2 of the Men's Open.
Some of the riders put on a show, in particular Ali Khushruwan Ahmed (Kuda Ayya), who had won the competition at the last three editions of the Burunu Shikaaru and who posted the highest score of the first day of competition with 6.73 points, followed by Mohamed Reeshan in second place with a single-wave score of 6.13 points.
With a digital judging system in place as well as a live video feed, the MBBA hopes the events will become more and more attractive and accessible to everyone, so that future generations get more involved in the sport.
The vast majority of bodyboarders live in the capital, Malé. Raalhugandu in particular is known as THE testing ground of the Maldivian surf community, and is responsible for the training and development of several local talents.
Winners were crowned in the Men's Open, Junior Men's and Women's Open categories, with athletes Ali Khushruwan (Kuda Ayya), Abdhulla Shimaal Shameem (Shimalley) and Lujain Hassan (Thuthu) taking the titles respectively.
As the final day of competition came round and the swell dropped throughout the event, the pressure built for young and seasoned athletes alike. Above all for Maldivian bodyboarding veteran Kuda Ayya. Having taken first place at every edition of the historic "Burunu Shikaaru" since 2013, Kuda Ayya added a fourth consecutive win, roughly a decade after winning the first event. -
Although the hard-fought final pitted Kuda Ayya against a good friend and long-time rival, Ali Javed (Jaatte), Kuda Ayya managed to finish the heat with an impressive wave scored 9.17 points, taking a 4.80-point lead over Jaatte, who himself scored 10.20 points in the final.
Men's Open:
1. Ali Khushruwan Ahmed
2. Ali Javed
3. Ali Shaam Rafiu
Junior Men's:
1. Abdhulla Shimaal Shameem
2. Mohamed Jareesh Jihaadh
3. Aamin Umar Moosa
Women's Open:
1. Lujain Hassan
2. Dhafeena Hassan Ibrahim
3. Shaziya Saeed
With the introduction of the very first "Women's Open" category in Maldivian bodyboarding, the MBBA believes this decision, with the support of the community, will be a cornerstone of its development, taking local bodyboarding and women in the sport to new heights.
The national ranking should be decided at the next stop of the league; competitors are expected to raise the level even further as the seeded riders try to improve their ranking at the crucial "Labera Bodyboarding Challenge" to be held at the end of May.
The Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof, attended the closing ceremony as guest of honour.
PHOTO CREDITS TO MBBA / HUPA (@maldivessurfphotographer)
IMAGE CREDITS MOVED TO SLOWTAPE (@slowtapemv)
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