By Sachit Subba • Other Sports • Sep 20, 2026 13:48 PM • 31 views
At the 20th Asian Games in Japan, Arika Gurung was two seconds from a medal, but video review and a late attack left Nepal without one on Sunday.
In the women's over 68 kilograms kumite event, Gurung faced high expectations after winning silver at the 19th Asian Games. In the tense semifinal against Kazakhstan's world number one, Sofya Berultseva, the fighters traded tactical attacks. With exactly two seconds left and the score tied at one point each, Gurung led on the senshu rule, which awards a point for scoring first. She was on the verge of the gold medal match when Kazakhstan's coach placed a card on the mat to request a video review. The judges reviewed the sequence and awarded Berultseva a clear yuko, turning it into a 2-1 win for the Kazakhstani fighter.
In the bronze medal match, Gurung faced Dina Mostafa of Saudi Arabia. She controlled the early pace and built a 7-5 lead, but the match turned in the final moments. With just two seconds left, Mostafa scored a clean ippon. That three-point technique erased Gurung's advantage and gave the Saudi Arabian athlete an 8-7 victory. Gurung left the tatami without a medal.
The team's disappointment reflected a broader struggle, as two other men also reached bronze-medal contention but fell to tough international rivals. In the men's under 60 kilograms kumite competition, Min Bahadur Tamang lost 2-0 to Saudi Arabia's Al Basheer. Although Tamang defended effectively, he could not break through his opponent's defence. Rakesh Manandhar had the same result in the under-55 kilograms division, with Malaysia's Kaliana Sundram beating him 2-0 for the bronze medal.
During the day, the individual kata event offered no respite for the delegation. Sanumaya Thing was eliminated in the first round by Choi Han of South Korea. All five judges awarded scores to Choi, giving him a 5- 0 victory. Kushal said his athletes pushed top-level competitors to the limit. He expressed frustration over the close calls and said his fighters gave relentless effort until the final bell, making the sudden losses hard to accept. Nepal ended its karate campaign at the Asian Games on Sunday without a medal, in sharp contrast to the last tournament, when the team won silver. In international sports, small margins can disappear in seconds.
