KATHMANDU: Nepali karate player Arika Gurung was given a grand welcome in Kathmandu on Tuesday after making history by winning a bronze medal at the prestigious Karate 1 Premier League.
Gurung, who returned from Rabat, Morocco, where the league was held, was welcomed at Tribhuvan International Airport by National Sports Council Member Secretary Tankalal Ghising, Nepal Karate Federation President Yuvraj Lama, fellow athletes, supporters, friends, and well-wishers.
Accompanied by traditional music and celebratory cheers, Gurung expressed her determination to go even further. “Though I have won a bronze this time, my goal is to bring home a gold medal in the future,” she said during the welcome event.
Representing Nepal in the women’s above-68 kg weight category, Gurung defeated French athlete Pia Clemence 6–2 to secure the medal.
She is the first Nepali athlete to win a medal at the elite-level Karate 1 Premier League, a competition that features only the top 32 ranked players in the world.
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