Kathmandu, December 1

Tribhuvan Army Club rider Ram Hari Khadka won the High Jump title under the fifth National Equestrian Championships here at the Tundikhel grounds today.

Khadka, riding on the horse named Devaki, jumped five feet to finish first. After winning the gold medal, Khadka gave a try to set the national record of six feet but missed it by a whisker. Mekh Bikram Khadka and Rajendra Thapa came second and third respectively.

Govinda Khadka won the Tent Pegging section title, while Dhruba Prasad Aryal and Jagadish Ghising were second and third respectively.  Ghising, riding on Sammohan horse, won the Show Jump category title with the timing of 52.78 seconds, while Dinesh Bhandari was second in one minute and 13 seconds. Rajendra Thapa finished third despite finishing the race in 46.47 seconds after he faced a penalty for one fault.

Five women riders, Hari Kumari Gurung, Yam Kumari Rana, Sarita Shrestha, Kabita Thapa and Diya Dhakal participated in the Six-bar Jump exhibition event. They got Rs 10,000 each as encouragement. Top three riders in three categories — Tent Pegging, Show Jump and High Jump — received Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.

The Himalayan Times was the official media partner of the event supported by National Sports Council, Nepal Cavalry, Turkish Airlines, Toyota and Hotel Radisson. Chief of the Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa, General Manager of Turkish Airlines Abdullah Tuncer Kececi, Managing Director of Toyota Ritu Singh, and President of Nepal Equestrian Association Ravi Rajkarnikar among others handed over the prizes to the winners.