Aroma Chundan wins Nehru Trophy Boat Race on debut

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Aroma Chundan (No.10), rowed by Aroma Boat Club, from Kollam, rows to the top slot at the 72nd Nehru Trophy Boat Race held on Punnamada Lake on Saturday. Nadubhagam Chundan (No.13) , rowed by PBC Punnamada-NCFC Boat Club, finishes second. | Photo Credit: Suresh Alleppey

Aroma Chundan, rowed by the Aroma Boat Club, made a dream debut on the Punnamada waters, powering to victory in the 72nd edition of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on Saturday. In a heart-stopping finish, its oarsmen edged past seasoned rivals Nadubhagam Chundan by just 12 milliseconds to claim the coveted trophy.

Aroma clocked 4:23.328 minutes, narrowly beating Nadubhagam rowed by the PBC Punnamada-NCFC Boat Club, which finished in 4:23.448. Veeyapuram Chundan, rowed by UBC Kainakary FC, finished third, clocking 4:23.770, while Melppadam Chundan by Pallathuruthy Boat Club took the fourth spot in 4:24.05. Aroma raced on Track 3, while Nadubhagam was on Track 4.

The victory capped a remarkable debut season for Aroma Chundan, owned by the Aroma business group. It had already announced its arrival by winning the Champakulam Moolam Boat Race, the opening race of the season. At Punnamada, it went a step further, claiming the biggest prize of the season.

Veeyapuram topped the first heat in 4:20 minutes, while Champakulam Chundan won the second. Melppadam emerged fastest in the third heat, finishing in 4:17 minutes, while Aroma topped the fourth in 4:27 minutes. Niranam and Aanari won the fifth and sixth heats respectively, with Niranam clocking 4:28 and Aanari taking more than five minutes to finish.

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