Kimaya Tabu
 Kimaya at a To the Sea event in 2020 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | கிமாயா தபு |
| Nationality | Tennaiite |
| Born | August 25, 1990 Kilakari, Koldari, Tennai |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb) |
| Spouse(s) | Elankeeran Amika |
| Sport | |
| Country | Tennai |
| Sport | Surfing |
| Turned pro | 2006 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | 7x World Champion (2009, 2011, 2013, 2017,2019,2020, 2021) |
| Olympic finals | 2018 Tyrlympics gold medal |
| Highest world ranking | 1st |
Kimaya Tabu (born August 25, 1990) is a Tennaiite professional surfer. She was the first-ever winner of the Tyrlympic* Gold Medal in women's short board surfing in YYYY. She was also the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Tyran Surf League Women's World Tour Champion. Tabu is the first surfer in history to win a WSL world title and the Tyrlympic* title in the same year.
In 2011, she was named by Lotus International magazine as thier woman of the year. She became a member of the Surfers' hall of fame in 2012.
Early life
Kimaya began surfing at the age of five with mother and father off the beaches of Kilakarai, Koldari. "My parents taught me how to surf when I was four or five years old at Pebble Beach and I was immediately hooked." Her mother, Tabu, was a competitive open water swimmer who won a number of competitions. Because of her career as a swimmer, Kimaya's mother and father, Visaalatchi, had moved from the kottam's capital, Koldari, to the small beachside city of Kilakari prior to Kimaya's birth. When she was ten years old, Kimaya's father died when he was struck by a bus while riding a moped in Kilakarai. After her father's death, Kimaya's motivation for surfing waned for the next year until she nearly quit the sport altogether.
After turning 11, Kimaya's mother was able to convince her daughter to enter National Amateur Surfing Association, NASA, junior surf competitions where she earned multiple wins. She also won top spots at the International Surfing Association, ISA, World Junior Surfing Championships, where she helped Tennai win a team victory. In all, she clinched 11 NASA amateur titles, and at age 16 in 2006, she became the youngest champion at a Triple Crown of Surfing event when she won at the Coral Sun Koldari Pro.
Career
In 2008, Tabu qualified to compete on the WSL (World Surf League) Championship Tour. She won two major contests and, finished third overall, and was named Rookie of the Year.
The following season, Tabu was a youngster to watch on the World Tour and she lived up to her reputation, winning three events and claiming her first World crown, unseating four-time defending champ Bavna Palagia in the process. At 18, she became the youngest person -female or male- to win a surfing world title.
Tabu took top honors again in 2011 and 2013.
Tabu has been named an Adventurer of the Year by Tennai Geographic, a Woman of the Year by Lotus International magazin, and Top Surfer in the Surf's Up! magazine poll (numerous times). She was inducted into the Surfer's Hall of Fame, and the Kottam of Koldari declared March 8 to be Kimaya Tabu Day.
2017 Championship Tour
At the 2017 World Surf League Women's Championship Tour, Tabu finished first place and qualified for the 2018 Summer Tyrlympics.
2018
She announced after the 2017 season that she would take a break from the world tour in 2018.
2018 Tyrlympics
| 2018 Summer Tyrlympics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's surfing | ||
| Representing Tennai | ||
 |
Shortboard | 16.93 |
Tabu qualified to compete for Tennai in surfing on the Tennaiite women's team with Mana Kasinadhuni at the 2018 Summer Tyrlympics held in City Name, Country Name.
In the first round of competition, Tabu scored an 11.74 and won her heat, which advanced her directly to the third round of competition. Tabu won her heat of the third round of competition against Gylian Pandora Nicolalli with a 10.34 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Tabu won her head-to-head competition with a score of 14.26 in the quarterfinals against Nationality Person's Name and advanced to the semifinals. In the semifinals match between Tabu and Nationality Person's Name, Tabu won and advanced to the final heat where surfers compete for the gold and silver medals. In the final match against Nationality Person's Name, Tabu won the Tyrlympic gold medal with a 16.93. As the 2018 Summer Tyrlympics where the first Tyrlypmic Games where surfing was included as a sport, Tabu became the first woman in history to win an Tyrlympic gold medal in surfing.
2019 Season
In 2019, Kimaya Tabu won the WSL season a the the WSL Finals in Bekal. She also won the Triple Crown of Surfing in January 2020.
Personal
Tabu married her longtime friend and secondary school sweetheart, Elankeeran Amika, on November 19, 2015.
In 2018, Tabu launched Tabu Charitable Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on using surfing and swimming as a platform to bring young women together and provide eduataional and sporting resources to impoverished women in Tennai and across Tyran.
TSL qualifying series
- In 2006, at the age of 16, Tabu was the youngest winner of Triple Crown of Surfing event when she won the Coral Sun Koldari Pro, a 6-Star WQS Prime Event.
- In 2007, Tabu qualified fro the 2008 ASP World Tour from the ASP Women's WQ.
- In 2007, Tabu won the Tennai Open of Surfing, a 6-Star WQS Prime Event.
TSL Women's Championship Tour
- In 2005, Tabu reached the Final of the ASP Women's World Tour Dali Pro event as a wildcard, becoming the youngest surfer to reach a Final of an ASP world Tour Title Race even. The Dali Pro wildcard entry was the first Women's World Tour event Tabu entered after success in the Dali Pro Trials.
- In 2007, Tabu won the ASP Women's World Tour Midge Pro Sunrise Beach event as a wildcard entrant.
- in 2008, Tabu started competing on the ASP Women's World Tour. During her first year on the Tour, Tabu won both the Vati Bank Women's Surf Festival and Rip Curl Cacerta. Tabu' 2008 Women's World Tour was 3rd overall and she was awarded the ASP Women's World Tour Rookie of the Year.
- In 2009, Tabu was declared the ASP Women's World Champion, the youngest winner of the title. Throughout the 2009 Tour, Tabu won the Kulam Rio Pro, a Sera Bank Classic, and the Dali Pro Rainbow Coast.
- In 2010, Tabu finished 3rd in the 2010 ASP World Tour, the failing to win any ASP world Tour events, coming runner-up in two events.
- In 2011, Tabu won four of the eight ASP World Tour events and became World Champion for the second time in her career.
- In 2012, Tabu won three WSL Women's Championship events.
- In 2013, she again won four Events of the WSL Championship Tour and won her third world title.
- In 2014, Tabu's only victory was the Dali Pro in YYYY, YYYY.
- In 2015, she finished the year at No. 5.
- In 2016, she finished the year at No. 3.
- In 2017, she won her fourth world championship, winning stops in Gylias and YYYY.
- In 2019, she won another world championship, succesully competing against Pelagia Fanelli Sanga in a head-to-head title match at the inaugural WSL Finals.
- In 2020, she won her sixth world championship where she clenched the title at the Koltol Black Sands WSL Finals.
- in 2021, she won a seventh world championship.
TSL Event Wins
| Year | Event | Venue | TSL Sanctioned Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Rip Curl Côte Fleurie WSL Finals |  Gylias
|
Women's Championship Tour |
| 2021 | Kilakarai Pebble Beach Pro | Kilakarai, Koldari,  Tennai
|
Women's Championship Tour |
| 2021 | Dali Pro | Tennai
|
Women's Championship Tour |
| 2020 | Koltol Black Sands WSL Final | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2020 | Surf Road Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2020 | Rip Curl Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2019 | Rip Curl TSL Finals | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2019 | Rip Curl Koldari Cup | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2017 | Rip Curl Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2017 | Dali Pro Gylias | Gylias
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2017 | Pirelli Open Ama Bay | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2016 | Rip Curl Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2016 | Koltol Black Sands Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2015 | Dali Pro Gylias | Gylias
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2014 | Dali Pro Gylias | Gylias
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2013 | Tock Women's Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2013 | Target Hospet Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2013 | Rip Curl Women's Pro Gygax Beach | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2013 | Dali Pro Rainbow Coast | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2012 | Target Hospet Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2012 | Rip Curl Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2012 | Drug Awareness Penna River Women's Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2011 | Nellimarla Women's Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2011 | Tennai Open of Surfing | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2011 | Rip Curl Pro | Tennai
|
Women's WQS |
| 2011 | Drug Awareness Penna River Women's Pro | Tennai
|
Women's WQS |
| 2009 | Dali Pro Rainbow Coast | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2009 | Sera Bank Classic | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2009 | Kulam Rio Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2008 | Rip Curl Pro Cacerta |  Cacerta
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2008 | Vati Bank Women's Surf Festival | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2007 | Tennai Open of Surfing | Tennai
|
Women's WQS |
| 2007 | Midge Pro | Tennai
|
Women's World Tour |
| 2006 | Coral Sun Koldari Pro | Kilakarai, Koldari Tennai
|
Women's WQS |