Finalists Determined at 5th Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Memorial National Karate Championship

Kathmandu. The final matchups for various weight categories have been set on the second day of the ongoing 5th Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Memorial National Karate Championship at the Karate Academy in Satdobato. Conceptualized by former Bagmati Province Sports Minister Min Krishna Maharjan and organized by Lagankhel Dojo, Lalitpur, the tournament promises intense competition for gold medals between departmental teams and provincial athletes.

Following the conclusion of Friday's semifinals, the race for dominance in the medal tally has intensified. In the women's 55kg category, Sabina Shrestha of Nepal Police Club and Priyanka Shahi of Tribhuvan Army Club have secured their spots in the final.

Sabina defeated Koshi Province's Srijana Khulal with a wide margin of 12-5, while Priyanka overcame Karnali's Priyanka Shahi 3-0. Similarly, in the men's 55kg category, Police's Alon Shrestha and Bagmati's Nishchil Ghale are set for the title clash.

In the men's 50kg, APF's Rakesh Manandhar and Gandaki's Bamin Gurung have reached the final, while in the women's 50kg, Bagmati's Parbati Shrestha and APF's Anjali Maharjan will compete for gold.

The performance of departmental team athletes has been highly impressive. In the women's under 68kg, Police's Elisa Rai and Army's Sampada KC have reached the final. In the men's 60kg, Madhesh Province's Ritik Thing has confirmed a meeting with APF's Min Bahadur, while in the under 84kg, APF's Mohammad Shekhu Alam and Lumbini's Krishna Budha Magar will face off.

Likewise, in the women's under 45kg, Police's Barsha Budha and APF's Aastha Luhar, and in the men's 67kg, Police's Santosh Shrestha and APF's Pradip Baijali Magar are set to fight for gold. In other weight categories, Army's Shraddha Sunar and Police's Nirupa Dong Tamang in the women's 61kg, Army's Sibu Od and Police's Rajiv Pudasaini in the men's 75kg, and APF's Mahima Rai and Army's Shraddha Thapa in the women's 68kg have secured their paths to the final.

The tournament, featuring 210 athletes from 7 provinces and 3 departmental teams, will award 150,000 rupees to the team champion, 75,000 rupees to the runner-up, and 35,000 rupees to the third-place team. Dojo President Deepak Shrestha stated that outstanding players in each category will receive 25,000 rupees, with special prizes reserved for emerging talents.