Rai fought impressively to score 6-1 during the lopsided victory in the men´s 52 kg weight category. After the late Dal Bahadur Rana Magar, Rai is the first Nepali boxer to win a bout in the Asiad. Rai will next face Saludar Rey of the Philippines on Saturday. [break]Rey had knocked out a Bhutanese boxer in the first round.
Rai will secure at least a bronze medal if he wins the quarterfinal match as all players who reach the semifinals in boxing are awarded bronze medals.
Another boxer who is close to winning medal is Deepak Maharjan in men´s 81 kg. After receiving a bye in the first round, the bronze medalist of Thailand´s King´s Cup held in April this year will face Thai opponent Sukkhum Kriangkai in the quarterfinal on Friday.
Nepali team´s chief coach Prachanda Sharma was very much energized by Rai´s victory.
“Puran played very well. It has given an added impetus to our hope of winning medal. If he keeps up the momentum for one more game then we might be the first one to break Nepal´s dry spell in the Asiad. But I wish someone else from Nepal would win medal before our bout,” he said.
Tennis
Nepal lost both their tennis matches in women´s singles in the Asiad on Thursday. Malika Rana and Aslesha Lissanevitch both lost to their Chinese opponents.
Rana was hammered 6-0, 6-0 by Jhan Sui of China in straight sets, and Fed Sui also thumped Lissanevitch in straight sets by an identical scoreline.
Now Nepal have only one match each in men´s singles and women´s doubles left to play. Kumar Adhikari will compete in men´s singles, while Rana and Lissanevitch will team up in women´s doubles.
Badminton
Nepal´s Asiad run in badminton ended without a medal after Ratnajit Tamang in men´s singles and the pair of Saradevi Tamang and Bikash Shrestha in mixed doubles lost their respective quarterfinal matches on Thursday. Nepal had made it to the last eight in both categories after receiving byes in the first round.
Tamang and Shrestha´s pair lost 21-6, 21-5 to Lee Sed Yu and Cheyan Yu Chen´s pair of Chinese Taipei in straight sets.
Cycling
Narayangopal Maharjan finished 11th in men´s cross-country cycling in Asiad on Thursday. Maharjan finished 11th out of 18 cyclists after he was lap-out in the fifth lap.
Rajkumar Shrestha, the other contender in the same category, finished 13th after he was lap-out in the fourth lap.
In women´s section, Nirjala Tamrakar finished last among eight cyclists. She was lap-out in the second lap.
Nepal Cycling Association President Chhimi Urgen Gurung blamed difficult track and hot weather for the low performance of the Nepali team. However, he expressed satisfaction toward the male players´ performance.
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