KATHMANDU, Dec 7: Nepali judo team won ten gold medals to clinch the title of the second edition of the Judo for Peace South Asian Cadet Judo Championship held in Dhaka on Friday.
Altogether 20 judokas from Nepal, out of the total of 21, won medals in their respective weight categories at the BKSP stadium in Savar, Dhaka, according to Nepali judo coach Mohan Bam.
Host Bangladesh finished second with eight golds and Afghanistan secured six golds to earn third place. There were 24 golds up for grabs in two different age group categories during the games.
“Today is the best day in my life,” said Bam, who was leading the Nepali team for the first time as a coach.
“We had won seven golds during the last edition and were expecting to better the result. It was an icing on the cake to win the title,” Bam told Republica by telephone from Dhaka.
Coach Bam further said that defending champion India did not participate in the tournament citing school level examination of the young judo players. However, he said that there were reports that India pulled out of the competition due to its internal crisis following the suspension from the International Olympic Committee.
Bam dismissed suggestions that Nepal won the team title just because of the absence of heavyweight India, saying that the Nepali team had players with experience from the last edition and were confident of giving a tough challenge to the Indian team that has been dominating judo in the region at both junior and senior levels.
“We have had one year training and our kids were prepared to take on India with confidence. But the final showdown between the two teams did not take place because India pulled out of the competition,” he said.
The players who secured golds for Nepal are Subodh Mandal (U-26 kg), Suben Khadgi (U-34 kg) and Sanis Shahi Khadgi (U-42 kg) in boys´ 10 to 13 years age group. Ajay Balak (U-30 kg) and Nishan Limbu (U-38 kg) each secured a silver medal in the group.
In the girls´ section of the same age group, Anita Shrestha (U-25 kg) and Debika Maya Shrestha (U-32 kg) won gold, while Rekha Sunar (U-36 kg) and Suji Shrestha secured a silver medal each.
Shakti Thapa (U-28 kg) and Anjali Shrestha (Above 40 kg) won bronze each in the same age group.
Likewise, Indra Bahadur Shrestha (U-40 kg) and Yubaraj Kumar Shrestha (U-45 kg) won gold for Nepal in the boys´ 13 to 16 years age group. Himparwa Khatri (U-55 kg) finished second while Alanur Ansari (Above 60 kg) settled for the third position in their respective weight category.
In the girls´ category of the same age group, Bishnu Maya Waiba (U-36 kg), Ranjana Khadka (U-48 kg) and Dipa Gurung (Above 52 kg) won gold each while Puja Karki (U-40 kg) and Manita Pradhan Shrestha (U-52 kg) secured silver medal each.
The Nepali judo team will be return home Saturday.