Men's Kabaddi

DHAKA: Men's Nepali overcame Sri Lanka 26-16 in the battle of the minnows during the kabaddi championship to ensure a bronze medal in the 11th South Asian Games here on Tuesday. It was the first kabaddi medal Nepal had won since the event was introduced here during the second SAF Games in 1985.

Nepal maintained the first half 15-7 lead to win the match comfortably to at worst end up fourth in the five-team championship. Sri Lanka lost all their matches and, with third and fourth placed teams set to share the bronzed medals, Nepal are assured of the medal. Nepal will take on Pakistan in their last match on Wednesday.

In the women's section, Nepal squandered a 12-5 first half lead to lose their last league match 24-21 against Sri Lanka. They were already assured of bronze medal even before playing their first match as there are only four teams in fray with third and fourth placed team sure to win the medal.

Hockey

DHAKA: Dipendra Airee the first international hockey goal for Nepal since the seventh SAF Games here during the 11th South Asian Games here on Tuesday. Although Nepal suffered their third successive huge 15-1 defeat against Sri Lanka, Nepal had something to cheer even in the humiliating loss as Dipendra became the only second player after Jitendra Man Shrestha scored during the SAF Games in Madras in 1995. When Nepal last played in 1995, they had conceded 54 goals in four matches. They have already given away 54 goals in three matches with still Bangladesh to play. Nepal lost their first match 21-0 against India before going down 19-0 to Pakistan.

Basketball

DHAKA: Nepal made it to the semi-finals of the basketball tournament in the 11th South Asian Games here on Tuesday. Nepal did not have their match today but sneaked into the last four following Bangladesh's 72-59 win over Maldives in the league round on Tuesday. All three teams won the match and Nepal and Bangladesh made it to the semi-finals on better scoring difference. Nepal needed Bangladesh to beat Maldives by 13-point margin to qualify and that was exactly the difference Bangladesh inflicted to Maldives. Nepal will play Afghanistan in the semi-final on Wednesday.

Badminton

DHAKA: Nepali shuttlers settled for two bronze medals they won in the men's and women's team event on Monday as they lost all their singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches on Tuesday. Only Sujana Shrestha came close to entering the semi-finals in the women's singles match on Tuesday. Although Sujana lost 12-21, 18-21 against Palwasha Bashir, she was the only Nepali shuttler to have given the fight. Sujana had a chance to extend the match to the third set but the wrong refereeing decision denied her the chance. Trailing 18-19, Sujana won a point but the referee awarded it to her opponent saying she had fouled touching the net.

In other singles matches quarter-finals, Sara Devi Tamang lost Trupti Murgunde of India 7-21, 15-21 and Bikash Shrestha crashed to a 14-21, 11-21 defeats against Pakistani Ahsan Quma. In the women's doubles, the duo of Pooja Shrestha and Sara Devi went down 8-21, 8-21 against Aparna Balan and Shruti Kurien of India while the pair of Sujana and Nangsal Devi Tamang suffered a 12-21, 14-21 loss against Thulasi PC and Ashwini Ponnappa of India. Likewise, Pooja and Ratnajit Tamang surrendered meekly to Indian pair Aparna and Sanave Thomas of India, losing 4-21, 421 in the mixed doubles match.

Earlier in the first round matches, Ratnajit Tamang lost to Rais Uddin of Bangladesh 7-21, 21-16, 16-21 but became the first player to win a set here in Dhaka. In other first round matches, Sara Devi and Bikash Shrestha lost to Shapla Akta and Rasal Kabir of Bangladesh 16-21, 16-21 in the mixed doubles match. Likewise, the pair of Bishal Pradhan and Bikash Shrestha went down8-21, 12-21 against Jamil Ahmed Dulal and Md Anakul Haque of Bangladesh in the men's doubles and the duo of Kishor Rana and Sajan Krishna Tamrakar lost 24-22, 15-21, 14-21 to M Rasheed and H Shaheem of Maldives in the men's doubles first round matches.

Volleyball

DHAKA: Nepal recorded the first win in volleyball here in the 11th South Asian Games on Tuesday. Nepal labored to a 12-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12 win over hosts Bangladesh in the Soharawardy Indoor Stadium, Mirpur. Nepal won the match 12-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12. Nepal's chance of making to the next round was already gone after losing their previous two matches.

Cycling

DHAKA: Ajay Pandit was the best among the four Nepali cyclists finishing 12th in the Men's 170kg Mass Road Race here on Tuesday. Ajay finished the race in 5 hour, 5 minutes, 54 seconds. Mangal Krishna Lama and Raj Kumar Shrestha also finished with the same timing but ended up in the 20th and 21st position due to the difference in the fraction of a second. Twelve riders had finished with the same timing. Nararyan Gopal Maharjan stood 23rd in 5:07:59. In all, 26 participated in the race with three failing to complete the race that started from Khulna and moving to various routes before turning back from Gopalgonj Road and back to the starting point.

Nepal's participation in cycling is over after Tuesday's race. On Monday, Nirjala Tamrakar came agonizing close to bronze win in the 50km Women's Mass Road Race finishing eight seconds off the podium finish. Likewise, the men's team of Ajay Pandit, Narayan Gopal, Mangal Krishna Lama and Raj Kumar Shrestha finished last in the five-team Road Team Time Trial on Sunday.