KATHMANDU: Nepal’s medal hopefuls failed to secure a medal at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday.
Karate players Erika Gurung, Sanumaya Thing, Rakesh Manandhar and Min Bahadur Tamang, along with wushu player Bijay Sinjali, suffered defeats in their respective medal events.
In karate kumite, Erika, Rakesh and Min Bahadur reached the semifinals but failed to advance to the finals. They were also defeated in their respective bronze medal bouts.
In the women’s over-68kg kumite, Erika Gurung lost 8-7 to Saudi Arabia’s Dina Ahmed. Earlier, she had lost 2-1 to Kazakhstan’s Safiya Berultseva in the semifinal.
Erika had taken a 1-0 lead in the semifinal but conceded a point in the final two seconds. In the quarterfinal, she had defeated Jordan’s Yara Nasser 7-1.
In the men’s under-55kg kumite, Rakesh Manandhar lost 9-1 to Malaysia’s Kaliyana Sundram in the bronze medal bout. He had defeated Thailand’s Inglor Nathakrit 9-0 in the quarterfinal before losing 7-0 to Uzbekistan’s Khalimov in the semifinal.
Similarly, Min Bahadur Tamang lost 2-0 to Saudi Arabia’s Albasher Saud Abdulaziz in the men’s under-60kg bronze medal bout.
He had defeated Hong Kong’s Him Chau 4-1 in the pre-quarterfinal and Kazakhstan’s Mirzajoda Mohammad 2-0 in the quarterfinal. He then lost 10-0 to Kuwait’s Saban Abdullah in the semifinal.
In women’s individual kata, Sanumaya Thing was eliminated in the round of 16 after losing 5-0 to South Korea’s Hyun Choi at Toyohashi Gymnasium.
In wushu, Bijay Sinjali was also eliminated in the first round of the men’s changquan event. Among 21 competitors, he finished 19th with a score of 9.146.
With these results, Nepal’s medal hopes in karate and wushu ended on Sunday.
Nepal has fielded 135 athletes in 21 sports at the 20th Asian Games. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are being held in Japan from September 19 to October 4.
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