Tribhuvan Army Club secured the third position with two gold, three silver and four bronze medals as the departmental teams made a near clean sweep of the gold medals. [break]The three teams clinched 15 golds out of the 19 up for grabs.
The University team, which made its debut in the tournament, settled for the fourth position with two gold, one silver and six bronze medals.
Ganesh Paija of Gandaki was adjudged the best player in the men´s section while Ganga Devi Adhikari of APF took home the honors in the women´s section.
Adhikari won gold in the women´s above 68 kg event after her opponent Nirmala Rai of Bagmati retired while trailing 5-0 during the game .
Likewise, on the closing day of the three-day tournament, Anu Adhikari of APF won gold in the women´s 50 kg event defeating Roji Nagarkoti of the national team 7-2.
Mallika Thapa of NPC clinched the title in the women´s 55 kg weight category. Thapa, an emerging star currently with the national team, defeated 10th South Asian Games silver medalist Amrita Shakya of the University team. Thapa was declared the winner after taking an eight-point lead much before the end of the contest as the final score stood at 9-1.
In the women´s 61 kg category, Sapana Lama of APF, who is also in the national team, beat Roshani Khadgi of NPC 7-2 for the title. Likewise, Rita Karki of Tribhuvan Army Club defeated Kalpana Basnet 6-2 in the title clash of the women´s 68 kg category.
Meanwhile, the University team clinched gold in the team kumite event.
In the men´s section, Binod Maharjan (60 kg) of NPC, Mukunda Maharjan (67 kg) of APF, Diwas Shrestha (75 kg) of NPC, Bhim Bahadur Tamang (84 kg) of APF and Sitaram BK (above 84 kg) of Tribhuvan Army Club won gold medals in their respective weight categories.
NPC lifted the title in the men´s kumite event.
National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama and Nepal Karate Federation President Dawa Gurung gave away the prizes to the winners.
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