Kathmandu, February 23
Gaurika Singh stole the limelight in the 13th South Asian Games with historic four gold medals and her scintillating achievement overshadowed a lot of brilliant performances from Nepali athletes.
Singh deserved all the praises from all quarters of the society. But a 13-year-old swimmer, Duana Lama quietly underlined her authority as an upcoming star swimmer. Lama not only won two silver medals, she claimed two bronze medals in individual events and helped Nepal claim three bronze medals in relay events.
She did not have to wait long. She dominated the pool, albeit short course one at Fishtail Academy in Pokhara and claimed nine gold medals and a silver along with five national records. Swimming is a sport where an athlete can take part in more than a dozen events in a single competition. After Karishma Karki and Gaurika Singh, who have claimed all 12 gold medals in separate National Games, the 16-year-old Lama became the third swimmer with the highest number of golds.
Butterfly and breaststroke are Lama's favourite disciplines but she has been trying hard to master other categories as well. Lama represented Nepal at the 19th FINA World Swimming Championship held in Hungary last June and the eighth FINA World Junior Swimming Championship held in Peru two months later. Competing in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events, Lama finished first in her heats in the Junior World Championships.
Lama has been training in Bangkok for the last three years. She says, "Leaving your family to continuing education and training in foreign land is both an obligation and an opportunity for me." Her performance has improved significantly since Lama moved to Thailand. In the absence of adequate facilities, Nepali swimmers are forced to move abroad to pursue their career and higher studies.
Lama, who hails from Manang district and her father Mukhiya Lama, who is associated with top flight football club Manang Marshyangdi Club, has left no stone unturned to fulfill his daughter's dreams. And her achievements and popularity in the sports fraternity has earned her a nomination in the People's Choice award under the Pulsar Sports Award organised by the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum.
She is in a race with cricketer Aasif Sheikh, tennis player Abhilasha Bista, footballer Anjan Bista and volleyball player Usha Bhandari. The winner will be decided by votes from public, sports journalists and chief coaches of the national associations. The Award, sponsored by Pulsar motorcycle of Hansraj Hulaschand and Company, is slated for March 7 at the Nepal Academy.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 24, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
