Shillong, February 8
At the 12th South Asian Games underway in India, Nepal bagged its first Gold. Nima Gharti Magar (16) did the country proud by defeating Indian and Pakistani players in the women’s Nanquan event, scoring a total of 16.91 points — 8.45 in the first round on Sunday and 8.46 in the second round on Monday.
India bagged Silver medal and Pakistan bagged Bronze medal in the event.
Gharti Magar is a 10th grader at Don Bosco Boarding School in Kathmandu and lives in Gwarko, Lalitpur. This is the martial artist’s first international exposure.
Talking to the media, she said: I feel proud for getting the first Gold for the country (at the SAG 2016).
She dedicated the medal to her wushu instructors, teachers, guardians and Nepali people.
“My guardians and my school enabled me to take part in the competition even when SLC examinations are round the corner. My wushu guru always inspired me to practice. That’s how I won this medal.”
At the Nanquan men’s event on Monday, Yuvaraj Thapa bagged the Silver medal.
Thapa scored a total of 18.13 points — 8.8 in the first round on Sunday and 9.21 in the second round on Monday.
In Monday’s round, he scored the event’s best, but Sunday’s performance dragged him down, giving India an edge of 0.7 points.
