KATHMANDU, JULY 11

The National Sports Council rewarded 13 athletes from six sports disciplines with Players Encouragement Awards here today.

The NSC handed over a total of Rs 1.05 million along with appreciation letters to four para-taekwondo players, three boxers, two each from athletics and triathlon, and one apiece from volleyball and badminton.

Para-Olympian Palesha Goverdhan and shuttler Prince Dahal received Rs 150,000 each. Goverdhan created history in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games by winning two bouts and she won gold medal in the Asian Youth Para Games, while Dahal became the first Nepali badminton player to become No 1 in BWF junior world ranking.

Boxers Narika Rai, Swastika Tiruwa and Tshiring Sherpa along with para-taekwondo player Srijana Ghising received Rs 100,000 each. The three boxers had won bronze medals in the Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championship, while Ghising bagged silver medal in the World Taekwondo President's Cup Asia Region.

Likewise, athletes Rajpura Pachhai and Pushpa Bhandari, triathlon athletes Sony Gurung and Basanta Tharu, para-taekwondo players Ranjana Dhami and Bishal Garbuja, and volleyball player Aruna Shai received Rs 50,000 apiece. Pachhai and Bhandari had won silver medals in the South Asian Cross Country and Dhaka Marathon respectively, while Gurung and Tharu had bagged bronze medals in the ninth South Asian Triathlon Championship.

Likewise, Dhami and Garbuja won bronze medals in the Asian Games and Youth Asian Games selection tournaments respectively.

Spiker Shahi led the women's national volleyball team to the gold medal finish in the Asian Central Zone Volleyball Challenge Cup. Minister for Youth and Sports Maheshwor Jung Gahatraj, NSC Vice-president Shiva Koirala, and Member Secretary Tanka Lal Ghising handed over cash prizes.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 12, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.