Guwahati, February 9

Nepali athletes began the 12th South Asian Games with a bronze medal and national record here at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium on Tuesday.

Middle-distance runner Hari Kumar Rimal claimed bronze medal in 5000m, while Chandra Kala Lamgade set new national record in shot put. Rimal finished the distance in 14 minutes and 32.18 seconds. Indian duo Man Singh (14:02.04) and Suresh Kumar (14.02.70) finished first and second respectively.

Lamgade covered the distance of 11.03 metres in women’s shot put to better own mark of 10.75m set during the SA Games selection tournament. Lamgade, who was expected to win medal in field events, finished fourth among four participants in the event.

Other Nepali athletes faltered. Sprinter Yam Sajan Sunar qualified for finals with the timings of 10.92 seconds before finishing the disappointing last in 11.01 seconds. In women’s section, Krishna Chaudhary also entered the final round from heats but finished last. Another sprinter Saraswoti Bhattarai finished the 100m race in 13.28 seconds as she failed to qualify for finals.

Som Bahadur Kumal had a mixed day as he had to withdraw from 400m heats after he pulled hamstring muscles. Earlier, he qualified for 800m finals with the timing of one minute and 55.95 seconds. The final is on Wednesday. In women’s 800m race, Saraswoti Bhattarai finished the race with her personal best of 2:14.35. Her previous best mark was 2:15.60. In women’s 5000m race, Bishwa Rupa Budha finished fifth in 18 minutes and 57.24 seconds. India won gold and silver, while Sri Lanka came third in the event.

Women’s volleyball

Tara Devi Pun won bronze medal in 75kg weight category in weightlifting. Pun lifted 70kg in snatch and 95kg in clean and jerk for a total lift of 165kg. She was confined to bronze after she failed in an attempt to lift 203kg in the last round. India’s Sushila Panwar won gold with a total lift of 198kg, while Sri Lanka’s Ishani Anushka came second with 173kg. This is weightlifting’s second medal in the ongoing SA Games. Devi Chaudhary won the first medal on Saturday becoming the first Nepali women lifter to bag medal in the regional games.

Nepal enter semi-finals

The men’s football team advanced to the semi-finals of the 12th SA Games in Guwahati on Tuesday. Nepal made it to the last four after Bangladesh and Bhutan played a 1-1 draw in the Group B match. Nepal, who defeated Bhutan 5-0 in their opening match, are at the top of the three-team group standings with three points. Bangladesh earned a point from one match, while Bhutan have one point from two games. Nepal will play against Bangladesh on Thursday. The match will decide the group winners and the second team to enter the last four.

Table tennis

Nabita Shrestha and Elina Maharjan lost to India in the women’s doubles semi-finals in the 12th SA Games in Shillong on Tuesday. The hosts defeated Nepal 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 in the last four clash. Nepal ended the table tennis campaign with two medals in the regional meet. Men’s team also bagged bronze medal.

Women’s hockey

Nepal suffered their second straight loss in women’s hockey at the Moullana Md Tayabullh Hockey Stadium in Bhetapara, Guwahati on Tuesday. After a humiliating 24-0 defeat at the hands of hosts India, the Nepali hockey team suffered a 15-0 loss against Sri Lanka in its second match. This is the first time women’s hockey is included in the SA Games. With just three teams in the field, all the nations are assured of medals. Nepal has not participated in men’s hockey, the only sport among 23 events included in the 12th edition of the regional games.

Kho-kho

Both the Nepali teams finished third in Kho-kho in Guwahati. Nepal defeated Sri Lanka 20-4 in women’s third place playoff match. Nepal led 9-2 in first innings and hammered 11-2 in second innings to register a comfortable victory. In men’s section, the Nepali team beat Sri Lanka 15-11. Nepal took a 6-5 lead in the first innings and won 9-6 in the second innings.