Kathmandu, September 4:

Nirmala Bharati set the new national record in women’s 10,000m race at the Open Athletics Championship organised by Nepal Athletics Association (NAA) to select the players for the upcoming 10th South Asian games. The Nepal Police athlete, who won the gold in 37 minutes 48.9 seconds, broke Raj Kumari Pandey’s 16-year-old record of 39:23.4. Bharati also holds the women’s 5000m national record. Krishneshwori Sintakala (42:35.4) and Usha Manandhar (50:11.1) came second and third. Ganesh Tamang of Nepal Police won the 400m race in 52 seconds, followed by Tribhuvan Army Club’s Devi Bahadur Basnet (53.3) and Nepal Police’s Krishna Raj Chaudhary (53.7). Nepal Police dominated the women’s 400m, with Chandra Kala Thapa (1:02.1), Sabitri Nepal (1:03.3) and Bishnu Kafle (1:05.5) winning top three spots. TAC’s Gyan Bahadur Bohara won the 1,500m gold in 4:09.2 followed by fellow club runner Prem Bahadur Mahat (4:12.5) and Armed Police Force’s Lok Bahadur Rokaya (4:13.72). Kanchi Ma-ya Koju of Nepal Police came first in women’s 1,500m in 4:54.8, ahead of Chhaya Khatri (5:00.8), and Bishnu Keshari Kasula (5:46.8).

Arjun Basnet of TAC won the men’s 10,000m in 30:52.4 ahead of Akkal Bahadur Bohara (31:47.2) and Uttam Khatri (31:49.5). Ujir Bista won the shot put gold with a throw of 13.14m. Bina Shrestha jumped 4.61m to win the women’s long jump, and Yogendra Dhimal won men’s gold with 6.55m. NAA president Kishor Bahadur Singh and Gunter Lange, director of Nepal German Athletics Project, gave away prizes to the winners.