It should come as no surprise then that the Nepali karate team has high expectations from Binod Shakya and Ganga Adhikari -- who won gold medals in the 11th SAG -- in the upcoming 16th Asian Games (Asiad) from. [break]
Sunil Lama, another star who won gold in the SAG, could not qualify for the Asiad but Binod Maharjan is just as capable. Maharjan, who was had been taking the lead by six points against Afghanistan player in the 11th SAG, rued that he was deprived of gold after a biased referee decision which led to his loss 8-7. Nevertheless, he is determined make up for the loss in the SAG by winning a medal in the Asiad.
Tenth SAG gold medalists Kushal Shrestha and Rabindra Dahal are also in good form, according to karate coaches who are hopeful of the best result in the history of karate. Nepal´s past accomplishments in the Asian sporting extravaganza were during the Hiroshima Asiad and the Bangkok Asiad where Sita Rai and Samar Bahadur Gole won bronze medals each.
Besides, Deepak Shrestha went close to winning the medals in the last two editions but luck did not favor him. Coincidentally, Shrestha is now the assistant coach for the Nepali team. “Deepak Shrestha has won two golds in the SAG and has the experience of Asiad. That will prove to be of help,” said Maharjan.
Karate matches are scheduled to begin from November 23 although the event will kicks off in November 12 in Guangzhou, China. It won´t be easy for Nepal to win medals in the Asiad as the players will face Japan, Iran, Iraq, Tajikistan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand who have been dominating the game. But the coaches see a silver lining as the team will begin special training in Thailand after two weeks.
Karate preparation has not been smooth as they witnessed lots of ups and downs in the run compared to other sports. However, the coaches are quite satisfied even after the dissolution of the Nepal Karate Federation following a dispute during the selection of players for the Asiad.
“The players have been trained properly. All the players are in form. There are some talented players from which we have high hopes,” said Coach Rajendra Kapali.
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