KATHMANDU, July 30: Nepal Judo Association on Friday bade farewell to Phupu Lhamu Khatri, one of the participants of the Rio Olympic starting from August 5.
Phupu will be the fourth judoka to compete in the Olympics and the second woman player from the game. Earlier Debu Thapa, coach of Phupu, had competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Rishiram Pradhan and Ganga Bahadur Dangol are the other judokas to compete in the Olympics.
Phupu, the 12th South Asian Games gold medalist, will compete in women's 63 kg category. She said during the farewell held at the National Sports Council that she would leave no stone unturned to put up her best performance.
“Everyone has high hopes from me and I will try my best to meet the expectations. My late father had wished I played at the Olympics and his dreams will come true in Rio,” she said.
Speaking on the occasion, Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajrachary expressed his hopes of better performance in the Olympics than in the past. But he did not expect any medals. “We have no aim of winning medal in the Olympics. But I am optimistic of better performance in judo than in the past,” Bajracharya said. “Phupu has been improving each day. We have also sent her to Hungary for abroad training. Her confidence has also increased along with her exposure. Thus we are optimistic of better performance.”
NJA also declared reward for 'good performance' in Olympics. The NJA will reward player and coach with purse of Rs 25,000 and Rs 12,500 if Phupu plays for full time. Similarly, NJA will reward player and coach with cash prize of Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 for winning single bout, Rs 1000,000 and 50,000 for two bouts. The reward will increase accordingly if Phupu manages to win other bouts.
Phupu's coach Debu Thapa said that she was optimistic of better performance in the Olympics. She praised Phupu as hard working and enthusiastic player.
“Phupu has got enough time for training and she is always cautious for better performance. Currently there has been huge improvement in her performance. And I am confident that she would at least stand in the mat for full time.”
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