Ram Budihal: the man riding the wave

Ramesh 'Ram' Budihal has solidified his place as one of India's top surfers

- Shail Desai

It was a familiar situation for Ramesh "Ram" Budihal. Two years ago, at an Asian-level surfing competition in Sri Lanka, he had made his first major international final, only to finish fourth and outside the podium places.

Earlier this month, he was minutes away from starting another final, this time at the Asian Surfing Championships in Mahabalipuram. Besides personal glory, there were quota places at stake for the Asian Games in Japan next year. He gazed intently at the waves breaking in the distance, soaking in the sounds of the ocean before embracing the challenge ahead.

"A lot of positive thoughts, where I visualised the things I had worked on and the good days I had experienced in the past. My goal was to simply do it all over again once I stepped into the water," Budihal, 24, recalls.

A bronze at the end of competition marked the first individual medal for an Indian surfer at the event and his best finish in a career spanning over a decade. It also helped the Indian men gather enough points to secure another spot at the Asian Games.

"Just knowing that this was one of Asia's top competitions pushed me hard during the heats. Things didn't go as per plan in the final. Gold was the target, but to get bronze is really incredible considering how I started out. It's the biggest medal of my life so far," he says.