Maldives' top bodyboarder and No. 1 champion, Ali Khushruwan (Kuda Ayya), has revealed that he has been diligently preparing for the upcoming Visit Maldives Pro 2023, since the beginning of the year. He hopes that this year's event will also be a resounding success.
The Visit Maldives Pro 2023, a part of the IBC World Tour, is scheduled to take place from August 3rd to August 12th in the Varunula Raalhugandu, of Male' City. The tournament is expected to draw top bodybuilders from 18 different countries.
Having participated in last year's world-class bodyboarding competition, Kuda Ayya made it to the quarter-finals in the men's division and reached the semi-finals in the drop knee division.
Talking about his preparations for this year's event, Kuda Ayya expressed that he has been dedicatedly gearing up for the tournament since the beginning of the year. As the event approaches in the next two weeks, his focus has intensified to bring his best performance to the competition.
"I'm in good shape and took a break from work to ensure I am at my peak for the tournament. Training started ten days ago, and I believe our country will excel once again," said the highly accomplished bodyboarder from Maldives.
During the launch of the 'Raalhu Raajje' campaign, exclusively designed to support Maldivian athletes, Kuda Ayya expressed gratitude to the fans for their motivating support last year and hoped for even stronger backing this time from as many Maldivians as possible.
Junior division runner-up Aamin Umar Moosa.
Last year's junior division runner-up, Aamin Umar Moosa from Maldives, also spoke about his preparations for this year's tournament, stating that he aims to outperform his previous performance.
Both Aamin and Kuda Ayya will benefit from being wild-card athletes from the host country, in the upcoming event. Ayya will compete in the men's open division, while Aamin will compete in the junior division. Both bodyboarders will start the edition from the top 32 heats.
The Maldives Bodyboarding Association (MBBA) awarded free passes to four athletes in each men's and junior. In the men's section, free passes were given to Kuda Ayya, Aamin, Ashraf Hasan, and Ali Javed, while Aamin, Eyan Ahmed, Mohammad Jareesh Jihad, and Mohammad Kaif received free passes in the junior division.
The selection for the free passes considered the results of the recently concluded Burunu Shikaaru Challenge and the national team's ranking.
In addition to these athletes, several other bodyboarders from the country have already registered for the tournament. MBBA said a total of 14 bodyboarders from across the country will participate in this year's competition.
