KATHMANDU: Nepal’s women’s kabaddi team, which won a bronze medal at the 20th Asian Games, has returned home.
The team arrived in Nepal on Wednesday afternoon and received a warm welcome at Tribhuvan International Airport. Nepal secured the bronze medal after losing 48-24 to India in the semifinal.
Upon returning home, team captain Manamati Bista said the team’s main goal had been to reach the final, but facing India in the semifinal made the challenge particularly difficult.
She said retaining a medal at a major Asian sporting event was a significant achievement. Although the team’s strategy did not work out completely as planned, she said the players were satisfied and happy with the bronze medal.
Bista said the team had long faced a lack of proper facilities, including its own covered hall and kabaddi ground. However, for six months before the competition, the players set aside those challenges and focused solely on the game, winning a medal and raising Nepal’s flag, she said.
Nepal defeated Thailand in the group stage but lost to Chinese Taipei. The team then defeated Sri Lanka in its final group-stage match to advance to the semifinals.
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