Palesha brings Bronze from Paralympics 2024, honoured widely

Nepal gave its first Paralympic medallist a hero’s welcome as cheering crowds turned out for taekwondo player Palesha Goverdhan’s return home from Paris on her arrival on Wednesday.

It was the first podium finish at the Paralympics for the Himalayan nation, which has never won a medal at the Olympics.

Palesha commented it had been a “long wait” for Nepal to win a medal. “It was thought to be impossible … I believe that now young taekwondo players and other players can see it is possible,” she added.

Traditional music and an army band played in honour of the heroic player draped in the national flag, marigold garlands and khada, traditional Buddhist scarves. A large number of sports related players and authorities and commoners welcomed her with cheerful slogans.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that Palasha Govardhan, the bronze medalist at the Paris Paralympics, will be honored with a cash prize of NPR 6.5 million.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Oli during an honour ceremony held at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu on Friday. While honouring Palasha, Prime Minister Oli praised her exceptional achievement and clarified that the entire cash prize of NPR 6.5 million would be awarded without any tax deductions.

At the honor ceremony, Prime Minister Oli mentioned that Palasha’s achievement has inspired not only athletes with disabilities but all Nepali athletes. He expressed pride in Palasha’s journey of struggle and success and hoped for more achievements in the future.

On this occasion, Palasha’s coach Kabiraj Negi Lama, her manager, and other participating athletes were also honoured. Praising the collective effort of the entire team, Prime Minister Oli stated, “Palasha’s victory has elevated Nepal to a new height on the international sports stage.”

Palesha, who is studying architectural engineering in China, won bronze in the women’s K44-57kg para taekwondo category, beating Serbia’s Marija Micev 15-8.

Born with a congenital limb deficiency on her left hand, she took up martial arts at school when she was 10.

Palesha, born on 25 July 2003 in Kathmandu competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the 58 kg category. She went on to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, becoming the first-ever Nepali athlete to win a medal at the Paralympic Games.

She won the first gold medal for Nepal in para-Taekwondo by defeating Ebrahimi Roza from Iran in the final of the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games. She also won the bronze medal in the 4th Asian Para Taekwondo Championship held in 2018 in Vietnam.

Palesha won bronze medal in 22 Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou, China, becoming the first Nepali para-athlete to win a medal in the Asian Para Games. She was the third Nepali athlete to qualify for the Paralympic Games, and she became the first athlete from Nepal to win a medal at the games in 2024. (By Ram Dangol)