The Nepal Weekly 
October 1, 2024
Nepali Karate player Arika Gurung has won a silver medal in the 20th Asian Senior Karate Championship.
In the final match organized by the Asian Karate Federation in Hangzhou China on Sunday, Gurung defeated Vietnam’s player Nguyen Thi Ngoan by 6-0 to secure the silver medal. They were competing in the 68-plus kg weight category.
Earlier in the semi-final match, Gurung had secured a berth for herself in the final match by edging out Thailand’s player Kewalin Songlin by 8-0. Gurung’s silver medal marks the first medal for Nepal in the Asian Karate Championship.
The silver Arika brought was the first medal for Nepali Karate at the Asian Championships. As a result, Nepali karate team participating in the championship with her was given a grand welcome at the Tribhuvan International Airport. A year ago, she won silver in the 19th Asian Games held at the same place in China.
Arika has admitted that some improvement is still needed in her quality and skill while playing the Asian Championship this time. She said, “technically, I felt like I missed something. Still need to improvement in training. I lost the final means I have to work harder.”
Arika said that now she will start preparing for the upcoming World Championship. Stating that Nepal is also emerging in the international arena. she said, I believe we can do better, she added.
To welcome the karate team along with him, member-secretary of the National Sports Council TanklalGhising, officials of Nepal Karate Federation, officials of Nepal Police and sportsmen and family members arrived at the airport in large numbers. Member-Secretary Ghisingh said that the medal won by Arica was not luck and was possible due to her tireless efforts and hard work, and discussed that karate is getting one success after another.
He praised the training of coach Kushal Shrestha and the management of Nepal Karate Federation for this success. In the 20th Asian Games to be held in 2026, the council promised to invest more for the exposure of the players saying that karate is the backbone for Nepal. (By Ram Dangol)
