Sports
Gaurika Singh extends gold haul to 8
Gaurika Singh struck four more swimming gold medals on Tuesday to the four she had already clinched over the last two days during the eighth National Games.Sports Bureau
Gaurika Singh struck four more swimming gold medals on Tuesday to the four she had already clinched over the last two days during the eighth National Games.
Singh won three individual events including one with a new national record along with a team event gold on Tuesday. Singh, who resides in London with her family and arrived here specially for the Games, clinched the women’s 800m freestyle and 50m backstroke titles on Sunday before winning the 400m freestyle and 100m freestyle gold medals on Monday. She kept a trend of setting a new national record by breaking the mark in 100m butterfly on Tuesday. On Sunday she had set a national record in 50m backstroke and on Monday she set 100m freestyle national record.
Representing Tribhuvan Army Club in the Games, the 16-year-old on Tuesday won the 100m butterfly gold with a new national record time. She clocked 1 minute 07.97 seconds to lower her own previous mark of 0:08.63. Her teammate Duana Lama won silver in 1:14.07 and Shreebi Maharjan of APF claimed bronze in 1:21.37.
Singh earlier claimed the 200m backstroke and 200m freestyle titles. Singh timed 2:41.25 in winning the 200m gold restricting Anushka Pokharel (3:00.63) of NPC to silver and Diya Sthapit (3:06.47) of APF to bronze medal. She claimed the 200m freestyle in 2:09.19. Her Army teammate Duana Lama won silver in 2:18.10 and Tisa Shakya of APF grabbed the bronze in 2:26.31. Singh wrapped up the day’s programmed with women’s 4x100m IM relay. Singh teamed up with Upaasti Maharjan, Duana and Sophia Shah to hand Army the gold in 4:51.89. NPC won silver in 5:24.91 and APF got bronze in 5:43.69.
Shuvam Shrestha also won the men’s 50m breaststroke gold with a new national record. It was Shrestha’s third gold medal of the meet and second national record after setting the first in the 100m breaststroke on Sunday. Shrestha clocked 31.90 in winning the gold but set the national record in the heats at 31.60 seconds. Dipankar Awale (33.25) of NPC won silver and Bedagya Raj Joshi (34.42) of APF claimed the bronze.
Nathan Dorje Sherpa of Non Residential Nepali Association clinched the men’s 200m backstroke title for his fourth gold medal of the meet. Sherpa had already won the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle and 200m butterfly titles. Sherpa timed 2:16.50 to win the 200m back stroke on Tuesday. Tenzing Namdol Ryan Gurung (2:27.32) of APF claimed silver and his teammate Nasir Hussain (2:30.03) bronze medal.
Army swimmer Duana struck the women’s 50m breaststroke gold in 36.00 seconds, just ahead of her teammate Upaasti Maharjan (36.88) and Tisa Shakya (37.60) of APF. Gaurav Lama of NPC claimed the men’s 200m freestyle gold with the timings of 2:20.28. His teammate Tarun Bhandari (2:22.78) finished in silver and Ugen Maharjan (2:24.78) of APF in bronze place. Anubhav Subba of Army club clinched the men’s 100m butterfly with the timings of 1:00.62 restricting Sayed Hamza Shah to silver, who clocked 1:00.66. Shah had entered the final as favourites after earlier setting the new national record in the heats with the timings of 1:00.25.
The NPC team comprising of Hamza, Dipankar Awale, Tarun Bhandari and Gaurav Lama secured the 4x100m IM relay in 4:28.25. APF won the silver in 4:29.00 and Army bronze in 4:31.47.