Yusuf Kayan Hamdan Zaki, known as Kai, was just 14 years old when he narrowly lost to former national champion Ismail Rasheed, known as Smiley, in the final heat of this year's National SAFF League's Muleekolhu wave competition.
Yusuf Kayan Hamdan Zaki, known as Kai, was just 14 years old when he narrowly lost to former national champion Ismail Rasheed, known as Smiley, in the final heat of this year's National SAFF League's Muleekolhu wave competition.
Despite losing the final heat of the tournament held in M. Muli on Saturday, Kai scored a total of 11 points, just two points shy of Smiley's total. Both surfers caught three waves, with Kai scoring 2.33 points on his first wave and 8.67 on his second. His third wave did not score, while Smiley earned 7.50 points on his second wave and 5.50 on his last wave.
"It was very challenging and a very close call. Kai put up a good fight during the tournament," said Smiley, who emerged victorious.
Kai reached the finals after defeating two national surfing champions. In the semi-final, he scored a total of 8.10 points, surpassing 2021 champion Hoodh Ahmed (Hoobz) by 2.93 points. In the quarterfinal, Kai bested three-time national champion Ismail Miglaal (Kuda Issey) by 3.33 points, with a total score of 13 points.
The open section final saw 24 surfers compete, with Kai demonstrating keen wave selection skills. The tournament, which spanned four days starting last Wednesday, featured varying wave conditions, but Kai showcased his abilities in every heat.
Surfers were allowed to ride up to 16 waves per heat. In the first two heats, Kai surfed four waves, and in subsequent heats, he surfed three waves each. In the first round's heat, he scored 4.53 points on his fourth wave, totaling 11.36 points, finishing second behind former national champion Ahmed Agil (Ammadey), who scored 11.50 points.
In the third round, Kai finished second with a total of 8.40 points on four waves. Najah Mohamed (Kabo), the champion of this year's Gaamaadhookolhu tournament, won the heat.
Kai advanced to the quarterfinals after a close contest in the fourth round heat, scoring 10.67 points on three waves. His third wave earned him seven points. Hood won the heat by one point, with Aiham Adnan finishing with 10.56 points.
Earlier this year, Kai competed in the quarterfinals of the Kalhegalekoda open held in Gadhoo. Last year, at age 12, he reached the semi-finals of the Open in Kalhegalekoda.
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