Kathmandu, March 21

Indian star triathlete Pooja Chaurushi arrived in Kathmandu today to prepare for next month’s ASTC fourth South Asian Triathlon Championship.

Chaurushi, who finished second in the 12th South Asian Games on her home soil last month, will remain with the Nepal national team players until the Championship slated for April 16 at the Fewa Lake in Pokhara.

The ‘Golden Girl’ of India as entitled by the Times of India, Chaurushi will join Nepali athletes in the training camp to be conducted by Nepal national team coach Peter Jakobsen of Denmark from March 22 to April 15. “This is a kind of achievement for us as a top athlete from India has joined our camp to prepare for the South Asian Championship,” said Nilendra Raj Shrestha, general secretary of Nepal Triathlon Association.

According to Shrestha, the three-time defending champion of the event held in Pokhara from 2013-15, Chaurushi came to Nepal under financial support from Indian Sports Council. “Having an athlete like Chaurushi in the camp will help Nepali athletes. And I hope they will push a little bit in training as they will have to do better than Chaurushi to win the championship,” said Shrestha. “We are happy that she chose Nepal for training.”

Nepal won silver medal in the Mixed Team Relay in the 12th SA Games with Roza KC, Yam Kumari Ghale,Himal Thapa and Rudra Katwal finishing second behind India, while Roza bagged bronze in women’s individual section.