The review of the Nepal Prakash Dahal Memorial Tournament – 19-year-old Sushma Tamang is their big future hope
Nepal is impressively active in the recent one and half year despite of their tough situation which affects the country. Their 19-year-old female sensation Sushma Tamang proved her amazing skills once again and she is ready to compete in her next international event at the ASBC Asian U22 Boxing Championships in Tashkent.
Their boxers prepared hard in the recent months and competed all of the possible big championships to keep their best fit and active. The Prakash Dahal Memorial Tournament was in Lalitpur where their top female and male boxers competed for the medals. The women boxers could attend in eight categories from the minimumweight (48kg) up to the welterweight (66kg) while the male athletes fought in all of the 13 official divisions.
Nepal attended at the Kielce 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships and at the very first time one of their girls advanced to the quarter-finals in Poland. Nepal not only sent boxers to the Dubai 2021 ASBC Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships but achieved historical medals in this level. The South Asian country sent four boxers to the Belgrade 2021 AIBA Men’s Elite World Boxing Championships which was their last appearance in the international stage.
Nepal arranged national selection competitions before all of the international championships this year and hosted further local events such as the Bagmati Provincial Championships and the International Women’s Day Tournament. Their next activity was the Prakash Dahal Memorial Tournament which contained the new weight classes for the women’s and the men’s boxers in this event.
Sushma Tamang was quarter-finalist as first Nepali boxer at the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships and the 19-year-old boxer dominated her final in Lalitpur against Asmita Duwal at the women’s minimumweight (48kg). Mala Rai is an experienced national team member who stopped Soniya Baruwal in the final of the light flyweight (50kg) before ASBC Asian Women’s Boxing Championships quarter-finalist Lalita Maharjan won her new flyweight (52kg) over Shila Rai.
Nepal has got strong potential in women’s boxing which was proved Mina Gurung who defeated the younger Nisha Tamang in the final of the bantamweight (54kg). Chandrakala Thapa delivered a small surprise in the next final when she defeated national team member Bimala Shrestha in a hectic bout. International level boxers as Sangita Sunar (60kg), Punam Rawal (63kg) and Saraswati Rana Magar (66kg) won the remaining women’s weight categories at the Prakash Dahal Memorial Tournament.
The first male gold medallist was achieved by Sushil Thapa Magar who used his excellent footwork to find the best angles against Mohan Gurung in the top final of the minimumweight (48kg). Pradip Maharjan outpointed Suwas Tamang in the second male final while veteran international boxers as Prem Chaudhary and Puran Rai both dominated their weight categories in the national tournament.
Sonam Sarki accomplished his target, he earned the gold medal at the light welterweight (63.5kg) but Dol Bahadur Chaudhary was a hard opponent in the final. Bhupendra Thapa Magar remained on the top of the welterweight (67kg) before Dan Bahadur Darlami shocked national team member Bikash Lama in the final of the light middleweight (71kg). Dipesh Lama (75kg), Ganesh Pradhan (92kg) and ASBC Asian Boxing Championships quarter-finalist Ashish Duwadi (+92kg) also have done remarkable performance in Lalitpur.
The list of the winners in the Nepal Prakash Dahal Memorial Tournament
Women’s 48kg: Sushma Tamang Women’s 50kg: Mala Rai Women’s 52kg: Lalita Maharjan Women’s 54kg: Minu Gurung Women’s 57kg: Chandrakala Thapa Women’s 60kg: Sangita Sunar Women’s 63kg: Punam Rawal Women’s 66kg: Saraswati Rana Magar Men’s 48kg: Sushil Thapa Magar Men’s 51kg: Pradip Maharjan Men’s 54kg: Prem Chaudhary Men’s 57kg: Puran Rai Men’s 60kg: Indra Bahadur Sunar Men’s 63.5kg: Sonam Sarki Men’s 67kg: Bhupendra Thapa Magar Men’s 71kg: Dan Bahadur Darlami Men’s 75kg: Dipesh Lama Men’s 80kg: K.C. Mahendra Men’s 86kg: Arjun Sigu Men’s 92kg: Ganesh Pradhan Men’s +92kg: Ashish Duwadi
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