Asian Surfing Championship | Kamali’s quiet rock: a well-wisher in wild waters

CHENNAI: In sport, every athlete has their own ritual or source of calm, something to fall back on when the pressure builds. For some, it is superstition. For others, it is routine. Serena Williams famously wore the same pair of socks throughout an entire tournament. LeBron James tosses chalk into the air before every game, amongst others.

For national surfing champion Kamali Moorthy, that source of calm is a rock.

At the Asian Surfing Championship currently underway in Mahabalipuram, Chennai, Kamali spoke of the ‘elephant rock’—a stationary rock formation in the middle of the surfing zone where surfers wait to pick their waves. To most, it is just another part of the coastline. To Kamali, it is something more.

“Usually it is more of a well-wisher rock to me. Though it does not talk back, I talk to it when I am in the water,” she told DT Next after her heat on Thursday. “When I get scared, happy or super excited, I always go to the rock. Deep down, I know it would never hurt anyone.”

Ironically, during her second attempt in Round 2, the current pushed her dangerously close to it. After scoring 6.00 on her first wave, Kamali needed a strong finish to reclaim the lead from Korea’s Kim Viju. But with less than three minutes remaining, the wave she caught carried her towards the rock. Forced to step off the board, she lost momentum.

“The second run was challenging. I was trying to turn, but the wave led me toward the elephant rock. I got very close, and I was a bit scared,” she said.

Kamali recovered with a score of 2.70 in her third attempt, finishing with a total of 8.70 to top her Round 2 heat. However, she fell short in Round 3 later in the evening, finishing third behind Olympian Siqi Yang of China and Asian Games gold medallist Sumomo Sato of Japan.

With Kamali’s exit, India’s challenge in the women’s open category came to an end, as Shrishti Selvam finished fourth with a score of 3.03 in her Round 3 heat.