Foreign and local surfers took to the waves in the Southern coast of Hikkaduwa to match their skills in the Red Bull Ride My Wave competition last December. This was the fourth edition of the surfing competition managed and judged by the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka.
Red Bull has repeatedly proven their commitment towards developing sports across the globe and they have certainly had a strong influence here in Sri Lanka. Ride My Wave has been no exception, with past events being held along the Eastern and Southern coasts, opening the doors to a sport that is slowly but steadily growing in popularity in the Island.
Past winners include the East Coast Team (2014), Asanka (2015), Lucky D.A. (2016), and Mattia Poirier (2018). This year, 14 countries, apart from Sri Lanka, took part in the competition.
The spectacular two-day event was packed with fun-filled activities and with an atmosphere of feverish excitement as people of all ages, cheered on Sri Lanka’s surfing enthusiasts.
In fact, this year’s event was completely plastic-free, as Red Bull demonstrated their commitment towards the environment by minimising pollution.
Female surfers took on the waves last year, breaking barriers in what has largely been a male-dominated sport. Indeed, Red Bull Ride My Wave has succeeded in attracting more potential surfing enthusiasts than ever before.
Nikita Robb emerged as the winner of the Women’s Category, with Nicole Jansen and Sarah Sagve securing second and third places respectively. Lakshitha Madushan emerged victorious from the Men’s category followed by Nadeen Sampath and David Soloman in second and third places respectively. As such, Lakshitha Madushan and Nikita Robb were crowned King and Queen of the Wave 2019.
The event saw 100 participants from around the world. The judging criteria was incredibly high, where participants were scored on a 0.1 – 10 scale, expertly judged by a panel led by Head Judge Lahiru Wijesekera, an ISA International Level 1 Judge, with the event being supported by the highly experienced Contest Director G.P.G. Sandika Thushara, winner of Sri Lanka’s first ever National Surfing Championship.
With 30 heats held each day, the competition consisted of four rounds, which then gave way to the quarter-finals, semi-final, and finals. Participants were judged on their ability to perform radical controlled maneuvers in the critical sections of a wave with speed, power and flow. Innovative/Progressive surfing as well as the combination and variety of repertoire (of major maneuvers) were further taken into consideration when rewarding points for a surfer’s performance.