Nepal misses karate medals in final moments at Asian Games
Summary
Erika Gurung came within two seconds of reaching the women’s under-68kg kumite final at the Asian Games but lost both her semifinal and bronze medal bouts. Fellow Nepali karatekas Min Bahadur Tamang and Rakesh Manandhar also fell short in their bronze medal matches, leaving Nepal without a karate medal.
Key Points
- Erika Gurung lost her semifinal to Kazakhstan’s Sofya Berultseva after a late video review reversed the bout in Berultseva’s favor.
- Erika then led Saudi Arabia’s Mostafa Dina 7–5 before conceding a late ippon and missing out on bronze.
- Min Bahadur Tamang and Rakesh Manandhar both reached the semifinals but lost their bronze medal contests.
- Nepal’s fourth karate entrant, Sanumaya Thing, was eliminated in the opening round of the women’s individual kata.
