The crowns went to Ivan Kozlachkov and Shikha Chauhan this time; the Rapid Raja and Rani respectively, as the 7th edition of the Malabar River Festival and the Malabar International White Water Kayaking championship came to a close at Pulloorampara in Kozhikode on Sunday. Down River, a time-bound race from Kocharippara to Kurunkayam on the river Iruvazhinji, was a highlight of the last day of the festival. All professional kayakers took part in the race. The first prize in the race was one of the factors that fetched Mr. Kozlachkov the Rapid Raja title. He had bagged another first prize in the Boater Cross and a third prize in slalom earlier in the festival. Amit Thapa and Ashish Rawat from Uttarakhand bagged the second and third prizes respectively in the Down River race. However, the marathon fun race from Kurunkayam to Elanthakkadavu bridge was the crowd- puller. Thousands of people had gathered on the premises of the bridge to watch around 50 paddlers racing down the stream in their colourful kayaks. People often stepped into the river, finding vantage points on bigger rocks. The police had a hard time removing them from the risky parts of the river, due to a flash flooding scare after heavy rains began up stream.
Published - July 29, 2019 12:32 am IST
