Nepal beats Syria in men’s basketball at Asian Games

Nepal beaten in men’s badminton; Gaurika fails to better national record again

JAKARTA, Aug 25: The Nepal men’s basketball team has kept its qualification hopes for the second round alive with a 21-10 score win over Syria in the 18th Asian Games on Friday.

Anish Basnet scored the highest 13 scores for Nepal, while Mabindra Bhandari and Ajay Kushwah added three scores each for the winning side.

Earlier, Nepal had lost to Japan 22-11 and Qatar 21-8 on sudden deaths on Tuesday.

Nepal’s women team will play against Mongolia and Japan on Saturday.

BADMINTON

In badminton, Nepal’s Ratnajit Tamang and Bikash Shrestha suffered losses in the men’s singles competition. Tamang lost to a South Korean player on straight sets of 21-8, 21-11, while Shrestha was defeated by a Japanese player on straight sets of 21-9, 21-10.

Likewise, in women’s doubles, the Nepali pair of Amita Giri and Rashila Maharjan suffered a straight set loss of 21-7, 21-1 at the hands of a South Korean pair.

Nepal will take part in women’s singles in which Nangsal Tamang will play against Japan, while the Shrestha pair of Bikash and Nabin will lead the line for Nepal in men’s doubles against host Indonesia on Saturday.

Boxing

Nepal could not do better in boxing as Sangeeta Sunuwar lost to Thailand’s Nilawan Tejaswip 5-0 in women’s 57 kg category.

Fencing

Nepal’s fencing team lost to the Philippines with a big margin defeat of 45-3 in the last 16 match of the men’s foil category.

Swimming

Nepali swimming sensation Gaurika Singh failed to better the national records again.

Singh, who could not better her own national record in the women’s 100 meter on Tuesday and the women’s 200 meter freestyle categories on Wednesday, has again failed to set a new national record in the women’s 50 meter freestyle category on Friday.

She completed the 50 meter distance in a timing of 28.50 seconds competing on hit three. She owns the national record of 50 meter freestyle with a timing of 28.09 seconds.

Singh, who competed in hit 3, finished in the seventh position among the eight participants in which Chinese player Lui Chang (25.14) left Singh behind by 3.66 seconds. Singh had finished ahead of the other Nepali player Tisha Shakya by 1.11 seconds. Shakya finished the race with a timing of 29.61 seconds. Singapore’s Amanda Lim (25.73 seconds) along with Chang had qualified to the last eight. Japan’s Rikako Ikki won the gold medal, while China’s Chang and Wu Kyu Feng won the silver and the bronze medals respectively.

Sports climbing

Nepal’s Pranil Man Shrestha and Pemba Sherpa were knocked out of the qualification round of men’s bouldering in sports climbing. Both the players assumed the 21st place in the rankings table.

Both Shrestha and Sherpa were knocked out from men’s speeds and men’s combine categories a day earlier.

Now, Nepal will compete in the qualification round of the men’s combine lead category on Saturday.

Archery

Nepal suffered a narrow 5-4 defeat in the recurve category of the mixed team event against Kyrgyzstan. Tilak Pun Magar and Gyanu Awale represented Nepal in the category.

Nepal will now take part in the men’s recurve team event on Saturday in which Magar, Roshan Nagarkoti and Min Prasad Gauchan will represent the side.

Volleyball

Following the two straight losses, the Nepal volleyball team ended its Asian Games journey from the group stages.

At the Bulungan Volleyball Indoor, Nepal lost to South Korea in straight sets of 25-16, 25-13, 25-14 in the second Group D match. Earlier, Nepal was defeated by Chinese Taipei on straight sets of 25-23, 25-19, 25-15 on Wednesday.

Nepal has only participated in volleyball’s men category.