Sports
Nepal’s 1st gold at 12th SA Games
Nima Gharti Magar gave Nepal its first gold medal at the 12th South Asian Games, winning a women’s wushu event on Monday.Raju Ghising
Nima Gharti Magar gave Nepal its first gold medal at the 12th South Asian Games, winning a women’s wushu event on Monday.
The 16-year-old, making her international debut, impressed the judges with her graceful yet powerful movements in the nanquan all-round taulo to finish on top of the podium with 16.89 points. India’s Swechcha Jatav took silver with 16.33 points and Mubashra Akthar of Pakistan (12.70) bagged bronze in the event.
“I am very happy to win the first gold for the country at these Games,” said Gharti Magar, a 10th grader in Don Bosco, attributing the success to her coaches, family and friends. “I want to make it big now and win gold at bigger international arenas.”
Nepal had also opened their gold medal account with wushu at the previous South Asian Games in Bangladesh in 2010. It was Nepal’s fifth gold medal in taulo event in the Games history after two gold each at the 10th and 11th editions.
Another gold medal hopeful Yubaraj Thapa, meanwhile, had to be content with a silver in the men’s nanquan which was won by India’s M Punshuva Meitei. Nepal is pinning hopes for more gold medals in wushu, with Jharana Gurung, Juni Rai and Bindu Pun Magar competing in their respective finals on Tuesday.
At the end of the third day of competition, Nepal is in fifth place in the medal table with a total of 13 medals, including a gold and four silver. Host India leads the Games standings with 79 medals, including 53 gold.