Dipendra Thapa claimed silver in male 74-80 kg while Rohit Tamang had to satisfy with second position in his debut international tournament. Tamang was competing in male 54-58 kg weight category.[break]
Shahi, gold medalist in the 10th South Asian Games (SAG) and silver medalist in the 11th SAG, humiliated Maznah Binit Samad of Malaysia with a score of 19-5 in the final. Shahi led the first round with 4-2 and played an attacking game in the second round.
She struck three slap-kicks and a hammer-kick on Samad’s head to take the score to 18-3 at the end of the second round. Shahi gave away 3 points to Samad as she received six kyong-go-es (minor caution).
Earlier, Shahi had to struggle a bit more to reach the final as she defeated Shahanaz Khatun of Bangladesh 6-4 in the semifinal while Samad had received a walkover from Donna Julia Langford of the USA.
“It gets tough to adjust in the first match but I was confident about beating the Bangladeshi opponent as I had defeated her in the 11th SAG. I was a bit scared when I received one after another kyong-go-es. The final was easier to win,” said Shahi, the gold medalist of the Korean Open and All India Open last year.
“My target is Asian Qualifiers for London Olympics rather than limiting myself to this gold. This success gives me the confidence that my training is going in the right direction,” she added.
Chaulagain defeated Sabina Sundas of India in the final with a score of 6-1 to win her first ever gold-medal at the international level. Chaulagain scored two points each in three rounds and Sundas scored the single point as Chaulagain received two Kyong-go-es in the last round.
Chaulagain eased past Nurul Asfahlina Bte Mohamed Johari of Malaysia 14-6 in the semifinal while Sundas had defeated Yeung Waiyee of Hong Kong 6-4.
“I’m happy to win my first gold medal at the international arena in my 10-year long career,” said Chaulagain.
“This is the third time I’ve thrashed Sundas and today’s (Thursday’s) final was relatively easier,” she added. Chaulagain credited coaches Kwan Young Dal, Sangina Baidya and Min Thapa for her success. “With this win I’m excited and I hope I can do better in the 12th SAG to be held in India,” said the bronze medalist of the 11th SAG.
Meanwhile, Tamang had to satisfy with silver medal in his international debut as he lost to Ryan Chong Wy Cunn of Malaysia 0-4 in the final. Tamang, who received a bye in the first round, defeated Dermingnie Christopher of the USA in the semifinal with a score of 11-6.
Cunn had defeated Hazaa Sultan Khalfan of the UAE 4-0 in the first round and received a walkover from Shadman Snkif Islam of Bangladesh in the semifinal.
“This was my first international tournament and I could not perform up to my level though I had trained well. Nevertheless, I’m happy to claim silver in my first attempt,” said Tamang.
Phillip Yun of the USA knocked out Dipendra Thapa in the final. Thapa had to quit the final as he could not continue after receiving a slap-kick on his head. The match was evenly poised at 2-2 until Thapa received the kick.
Yan Kumari Chaulagain
Earlier, Thapa had defeated Manpreet Singh of India 15-0 in the first round and received a walkover from Muhammad Zar Khan of Pakistan in the semifinal.
Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang inaugurated the championship at the Dasharath Stadium Covered Hall on Thursday evening.
The championship is being jointly organized by Nepal Taekwondo Association and International Nepalese Taekwondo Association. Players from 10 different countries are competing in the three-day event which will conclude on Saturday.
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