Nepal failed to pass the first hurdle in the head-to-head event as the team lost to China during the 18th World Rafting Championships at the Tully River in Queensland on Friday. Nepal were billed as favourite but it was China who not only edge out Nepal in the first round but also stunned defending champions Brazil, Russia and Japan to clinch the event. It was a disappointing showing from Nepal considering that they made it to the semi-finals in the event last year where they lost to eventual champions Brazil.

Nepal had finished fifth place in Sprint on Thursday whereas China had ended up in 13th position. China completed the race in 90.79 seconds while Nepal timed 98.91 seconds. “Our pace slowed down after hitting the rock early in the race. We never recovered after that,” said Nepal captain Suraj Gurung. China then beat two-time head-to-head event winners Brazil in the quarter-finals before seeing off Russia in the semi-finals. China completed a remarkable run beating Japan in the final. Participated by rafters of 16 nations, Nepal finished in ninth place and earned 134 points. Nepal had collected 78 points in Sprint on Thursday. China collected the maximum 200 points in the head-to-head men’s open category.

After completion of two events, Nepal lie in eighth place overall with a total 134 points. Japan leads the standings with 276 points followed by Brazil with 258 points and China with 255 points.

A total of 1000 points are on offer in four different events with slalom scheduled for Saturday. The Slalom will be followed by down river rafting on Sunday. The top eight teams overall will earn tickets to the World Rafting Cup scheduled for March 2020.