The rain and the sun taking turns in outsmarting the other had little impact on the people of Kodenchery and surroundings who turned up to get a glimpse of the action at Pulikkayam in Kodenchery where the 9th edition of the Malabar River Festival had a vibrant start on Friday.
The young kayakers of India battled with the swift rapids of the Chalippuzha to complete their task in the kayak cross/extreme slalom (amateurs) event, hoping to find a place in the National Kayak Team to take part in the forthcoming Paris Olympics.
“The extreme slalom/kayak cross event is debuting at the Paris Olympics. We are conducting two qualifying events, one here and another in Meghalaya to select the Indian team so that they can start their preparations well in advance,” said Sumant S. Kulshreshtha, chief executive officer of the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, who is monitoring the selection trials at the Malabar River Festival.
