Lalitpur, January 5

The selection of taekwondo concluded with 10 players earning tickets for the 12th South Asian Games (SA Games), here today.

Three players — Ayesha Shakya, Yan Kumari Chaulagain and Rejina Karki — were selected on the first day of the selection tournament. Prem Bahadur Budhathoki, Mohammad Wes, Bir Bahadur Mahara, Sunil Paudel, Chandra Bahadur Rana Magar, Nischal Man Shrestha, Sakshyam Karki, Ram Hari Mahat, Gyani Chunara and Nima Sherpa booked berths for the regional games to be held in India.

In the final of men’s above 87 kg weight category, Budhathoki of Tribhuvan Army Club beat Purna Singh Gurung of Nepal national team member, while Wes from Central Region outplayed Jems Pradhan of Nepal Police Club (NPC) in below 68kg. Mahara of NPC thumped Ajay Gurung from Central Region in below 63kg.

In below 58kg, Paudel from Western Region beat Ranjan Shrestha of NPC, while Magar of APF beat Sekhar Uprety of Central in below 54kg. In other matches, Shrestha of NPC hammered Bharat Bohara of APF in below 74kg, national team member Karki routed NPC’s Anuj Pujari in below 80kg and Mahat of TAC defeated Durga Thapa of APF in below 87kg.

In women’s below 57kg, Chunara of national team thrashed Renu Lama 15-2, while Nima Gurung of NPC beat Namrata Tuladhar of TAC 19-11 to book their spots in the regional games. The close camp for the players will start from Wednesday, informed Nepal Taekwondo Association.