Sports
Karki sidelined for 8 months
National football team striker Ashim Jung Karki has been sidelined for eight months after undergoing an operation to his left knee.Karki had to undergo surgery after suffering an injury eight months earlier during a training session with the national team. Karki had gone on to play three international friendlies apart from representing Nepal in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea last year
ignoring the injury.
The 23-year old Three Star forward was then asked to undergo surgery after the injury kept troubling him. Orthopedic specialist Ajay Yadav operated Karki this week at the Vayodha Hospitals. “I will be back on the field only after eight months now,” Karki said. “We were undergoing a practice session at the Anfa Complex in Satdobato after our second international friendly against Philippines in Qatar last year,” Karki remembered about the freak incident which led to the injury.
“Coach Jack Stefanowski had arranged a warm-up game against the Anfa U-14 side. My spike got trapped in the astro turf and I landed on my knees,” recalled Karki. “We repaired his ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) which got ruptured,” said Anup Jha, another ortho surgeon who has been looking after his recuperation.
“He can get back into the field only after eight months but will be discharged from hospital this week,” added Jha. Karki hit the spotlight putting up a splendid performance during the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League with Boys Union Club (BUC).
Karki had guided BUC into the final of the 2013 Ncell Cup—a rare achievement for the Kathmandu-based outfits that most of the times are placed at the bottom of the ‘A’ Division League. He was named the best forward of Ncell Cup, a performance that earned him a place at top side Three Star.
He made his debut for national team with the international friendly against Qatar last year.