Chitwan, February 16

Nepal Kayak Club won the National Rafting Championship and earned a berth in the World Championship here at the Trishuli River in Fishling today.

The team of Hari Ale Magar, Roshan Lama, Man Bahadur Kandel, Prakash Gurung, Binod Gurung, Tak Bahadur Gurung and Bishal Gurung accumulated 1,000 points to finish overall champion.

NKC finished first in all four race categories — Sprint, Head-to-Head, Slalom and Down River — earning 100, 200, 300 and 400 points respectively. With the victory, NKC earned berth in the Rafting World Championship slated for October 3-10 in Japan.

White Water Nepal team of Karan Thapaliya, Ramji Sedhai, Maniraj Gurung, Suraj Gurung, Dhiraj BC, Rabil Miya and Sushant Bishwokarma finished second with 832 points, while Paddle Nepal were third with 817 points. Paddle Nepal team comprised of Nim Bahadur Magar, Som Bahadur Magar, Jeevan Magar, Sunil Gurung, Lil Bahadur Gurung, Bharat Gurung and Pradeep Magar.

A total of 12 teams competed in the three-day championship organised by the Nepal Rafting and Canoeing Association under the fifth Mountain Sports Festival. All the teams which had seven members in the squad competed in four categories and the team accumulating highest points was declared the winner.

International Rafting Federation President Joseph Willis Jones, NRCA President Man Bahadur Neupane and Brand Ambassador of Rafting in Nepal Jerry Muffet among others handed over the prizes to the winners.

IRF President Jones was impressed with the Trishuli river and said he wanted to see Nepal hosting the international championships in near future. “I am truly honoured to be here and the resources Nepal has are incredible. It was a fantastic event in the last three days and I want to see Nepal hosting  the regional and world championships soon,” said Jones.

The international team including Jones also conducted a two-day seminar for Nepali judges and 16 of them are now IRF-certified coaches. As the first assignment, the Nepali judges officiated the championship and Jones lauded their performance. “There was not a single controversy and protest, which is also because of the discipline among the participating teams,” Jones added.