Panta enters final, creates history

Nepal’s Digamber Prasad Panta (left) with fellow karatekas in Tokyo on Friday, March 15, 2019. Panta entered into record books after advancing to the final in the ninth Shito-Ryu Karate World Championship. Photo: THT

Kathmandu, March 15

Digamber Prasad Panta entered into record books after advancing to the final in the ninth Shito-Ryu Karate World Championship in Tokyo, Japan today.

Panta is assured of World Championship medal and is the first Nepali karateka to do so in the history of Nepali karate.

Nepali players have earned a world championship medal but that was a bronze in team event in the third edition, also in Japan.

Competing in the men’s above-84kg weight category, Panta will face a player from Kazakhstan in the final on Sunday. He defeated a player from Venezuela 8-0 in the quarter-finals before edging past his Mexican opponent 1-0 in the semi-final bout, informed Nepal team coach Kushal Shrestha.

Likewise, Bijay Shrestha also has a chance to win the medal. Shrestha will fight against a player from Ivory Coast for bronze medal. He defeated a player from China 4-2 in the first round, while he was declared the winner on senshu basis after being tied on 2-2 with Hong Kong in quarter-finals. Shrestha then faced a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Kazakhstan karateka in semis.

In 67kg weight category, Anish Lama faced a 5-3 defeat against Chinese player.

In individual kata, Parshuram Bastola defeated American opponent 5-0 before facing a 4-1 loss against Mexico, while Ganesh Bahadur Thing lost 5-0 against Japan after making it to the second round with a 5-0 victory over US player. Thing got second chance to fight for medal in repechage. He beat Laos 5-0 before losing 4-1 against Mexico.

Around 1,200 players from 39 countries are taking part in the championship.

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