Shrestha wins 12th gold medal in taekwondo

Lalitpur, December 5

Bhupen Shrestha won the 12th gold medal in taekwondo under the 13th South Asian Games here today.

Shrestha defeated India’s Akshya Hoda 29-27 in the closely contested below-87kg final. Shrestha fell 7-6 down in the first round before taking a 20-19 lead in the second. He registered victory in the last moment of the bout. Earlier, Shrestha thumped Bangladesh’s Md Rasil Khan 35-6 to make it to the final.

Four Nepali players had advanced to the final but only Shrestha was able to earn gold. The 10th South Asian Games gold medallist, Manita Shahi lost to India’s Maria Regi 15-0 in the women’s below-73kg final, while Apsara Karki faced a 8-5 loss at the hands of Indian player Ruchika Shrirangbhave in the below-67kg bout.

Likewise, Kiran Bahadur Ale lost to Pakistan’s Radnawaz 33-7 in the men’s below-80kg section final. And, Yunisha Rai (below-49kg) and Kiran Bahadur Ale (below-58kg) bagged bronze medals. Nepal won a total of 12 gold medals out of 29 in offer. Nepali players also bagged six silver and 11 bronze medals.

Ayasha Shakya created history when she became the first taekwondo player to win double gold medals in a single meet taking her tally to three gold medals.

The 11th SA Games gold medallist, Shakya won in individual and pair events under poomsae. She became the third Nepali player to win three and more gold medals behind her husband and taekwondo ace Deepak Bista, a record holder in South Asia with four consecutive gold medals, and legendary marathon runner Baikuntha Manandhar, the first athlete to complete a hat-trick in the regional meet.

Cycling

KATHMANDU: Nepal added two more gold medals in cycling. Buddhi Bahadur Gurung led Nepal’s clean sweep in men’s cross country event when he completed the 20-km distance in one hour, 19 minutes and 08 seconds.

Rajeev Rai came second in 1:19:40, while Okesh Raj Bajracharya was third in 1:21. A total of 12 cyclists took part in the event. In women’s section, Laxmi Magar bagged gold after she finished the 16-km race in 1:20:20 ahead of teammate Usha Khanal, who was a distant second in 1:35:52.

India’s Soman Pranita Prafull was third in 1:36:29. Nepali cyclists Rajesh Magar and Nishma Shrestha had won downhill gold medals on Wednesday.

Cricket

KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated Bhutan by 141 runs in men’s cricket tournament at the TU Stadium. Batting first, Nepal amassed 236-3 in 20 overs before restricting Bhutan to 95-6.

Nepal skipper Gyanendra Malla led the team from the front with a scintillating century and he also became the first Nepali cricketer to score a ton in SA Games. He struck five boundaries and nine sixes in his 55-ball 107.

Former skipper Paras Khadka, the first Nepali player to score a century in T20, scored a quick fire 57 off 28 balls that included nine fours and a six.

Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee scored an unbeaten 45 off just 27 balls that included four boundaries and two sixes.

In reply, Ranjung Mikyo Dorji top scored for Bhutan with 23-ball 27.

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