Arika close to historical Gold
Arika Gurung created history by entering the finals of the 20th Asian Senior Karate Championship in women’s 68 kg on Friday.
By securing a spot in the final, Erica has secured at least a silver medal. Nepal was medalless in all previous editions of Asian Senior Karate.
Kushal Shrestha, the head coach of the team, said that Arika defeated Isabel Arianne Brito of the Philippines 4-0 in the pre-quarterfinals at the Sports Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.
Arika’s opponent in the quarterfinals was Sopmya Berultseva of Kazakhstan. The match between Arika and Sopmya ended in a 1-1 draw. Arika won by ‘ref’ decision. The first point was scored by Arica.
Sofia was one of three players who defeated Arika in the final of the 19th Asian Games 3–0 to win the gold. Karate of the 19th Asian Games was also held in the hall of the current competition.
In the semi-finals, Arika defeated Thailand’s Kewalin Songklin 8-0 to advance to the finals. Arika will compete against Vietnam’s Naon Thi Nguyen in the final on Sunday.
This is Arika’s fifth international participation. Arika has never been without a medal in any competition. Arika won gold at the 10th World Sitorio Karate Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, historic silver at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, gold and silver at the US Open Karate Championship in Texas, and gold at the 8th South Asian Karate Championship in Thimphu, Bhutan.
All these competitions were held in a period of about 1 year. He was a skilled coach in all competitions. According to coach Kushal, all the Nepalese players who competed in other competitions in Kumute have dropped out of the competition.
Min Bahadur Tamang under 60 kg, Santosh Shrestha under 67 kg, Mohammad Sheikhu Alam under 84 kg and Ashish Shrestha over 84 kg presented the challenge of Nepal. Jia Karki and Nirupa Dong competed in women’s under 55 kg and 61 kg respectively.
Alyssa Rascotti Magar, Megha Limbu and Tappi Thapa will showcase their skills in the women’s team kata. Alyssa will also participate in the singles. Swanim Manandhar will play in men’s singles. Kata will be held on Saturday.
RELATED NEWS
