Nepal had high expectations from karate in this edition of the Asiad after taekwondo returned empty-handed from Guangzhou.[break]
However, none of the karatekas on the second day of the event could add to pugilist Deepak Maharjan´s bronze medal, the only medal won by Nepal so far.
Despite victory in two bouts, Binod Maharjan was unable to bag a medal for Nepal as he lost in the men´s 60 kg quarterfinal. Maharjan was defeated 3-0 by Uluwkawek Mukhsimov.
Nepali coach Deepak Shrestha, however, blamed the wrong decision of the referee for Maharjan´s defeat. “The video replay shows that we had won the match, but I am surprised why our players are not getting scores despite high performance,” Shrestha added, lauding his players´ performance, “Maharjan really put up a good show and it was his bad luck that he was unable to secure a semifinal spot despite winning two bouts.”
As 19 players competed in the men´s 60 kg category, Maharjan was drawn to play from the round of last 32. He was not among the 13 players who received byes in the first round.
In the first round Maharjan thrashed Mohamed Fedai Haji Sanif 3-0, and in the second he defeated Tyalentbek Khalmujaiv 4-2 to book a quarterfinal spot.
In the women´s 55 kg section, Roji Nagarkoti crashed out from the quarterfinals after she failed to hold on to her lead over Linza Fenny of India in the dying seconds.
Nagarkoti, who was drawn directly into the quarterfinals, was beaten 3-2 by Fenny.
Fenny, who was under pressure, came up with an aggressive strategy during the final moments and succeeded in hitting an upper-kick in the last minute to turn the match in her favor.
“Nagarkoti lost unexpectedly due to lack of experience. She gave three unnecessary points to the opponent in the dying moments,” coach Shrestha said.
In men´s 67 kg, Kushal Shrestha won his first round match but lost to Fahad Asia Ace Alkhathami of Saudi Arabia by a narrow margin of 1-0 in a highly competitive quarterfinal. Shrestha had registered an impressive 8-2 victory in his first round bout. Coach Shrestha described Kushal´s defeat as the team´s bad luck.
Among the 10 karate events contested so far, Nepal have been empty handed in seven. Now, Tara Gurung will take on Lanlan Fed of the hosts China in women´s 68 kg on Friday, while South Asian Games gold medalist Ganga Adhikari will contest in women´s 61 kg. Similarly, Binod Shakya will compete in men´s 75 kg.
Wrestling
The only participant from Nepal in wrestling, Satendra Prasad Yadav crashed out from the very first round on Thursday. Yadav lost to Mohamed Abdul Malek of Iraq in the men´s 120 kg category. Yadav lost 6-0, 6-1 on the basis of technical points in the weight category that comprised only eight wrestlers. Yadav succeeded in earning a point only in the second round. “The single point earned by Yadav will be helpful in lifting Nepal´s ranking in Asia,” wrestling coach Bidya Sagar Pokharel shared.
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