NAGOYA, Sept. 23: Tenzing Sherpa gave Nepal its first medal of the 20th Asian Games on Wednesday, beating Laos’s Sayasane Vatthana 9–1 to claim bronze in the men’s over 84kg karate kumite event.
Sherpa scored nine points, including an ippon, in the decisive bout at Toyohashi Gymnasium. The result rescued Nepal’s karate campaign on its final day: the other seven members of the eight-athlete squad had already gone out of medal contention.
The medal carries extra weight after Arika Gurung, Nepal’s silver medallist at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, missed out on the podium this time. Nepal’s women’s kata team also reached a bronze medal contest but lost to Chinese Taipei. Karate has a history of delivering for Nepal: Sita Rai won bronze in 1994, Samar Bahadur Gole followed in 1998, and Bimala Tamang earned the country’s only medal at the 2014 Games.
Elsewhere, Nepal’s results have been mixed. The women’s kabaddi team began with a 46–43 comeback win over Thailand after trailing 24–15 at halftime. The men’s team, meanwhile, lost three of its first four group matches and fell out of medal contention.
Boxing has brought disappointment so far. Chandra Bahadur Thapa Magar, regarded as one of Nepal’s stronger prospects, lost his opening 55kg bout to India’s Jadumani Singh Mandengbam. Ramisha Shrestha and Dan Bahadur Darlami also lost their first bouts, although other Nepali boxers remain in the competition. Nepal’s men’s cricket campaign is due to begin on September 24.
Sherpa’s bronze gives Nepal an early return from the Games, which continue until October 4. Whether the delegation can add to it now rests with athletes still competing, including the women’s kabaddi side and the remaining boxers.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment