Bhupen Shrestha clinched gold in the men's U-87 category as Nepal's taekwondo team wrapped up their performances at the 13th South Asian Games, pocketing 12 gold, 6 silver and 11 bronze medals.

Nepal could have added three more gold had Apsara Karki, Manita Shahi and Kiran Bahadur Ale not lost their final bouts.

The 21-year-old Shrestha edged Akshay Hooda of India in the highly competitive match (29-27). In the first round, he led 8-7 and went into third round 20-19. Two back kicks in the last round gave him a three-point advantage before he wrapped up the game. Shrestha had defeated Md Rashel Khan of Bangladesh in the semi-final.

"I am really proud to win the only gold today. I feel I have made my country happy," said Shrestha, who hails from Madhumalla, Morang.

Shrestha said that training in Japan and China ahead of the Games became instrumental for his success. "The training in Japan and China were quite fruitful. I thank my coaches and family for their support and helping me become a player of this caliber," he said.

Nepal’s Apsara Karki lost her women's U-76kg bout against Ruchika Shrirang Bhave 8-5 in the title clash, while veteran Shahi faced a thumping 15-0 defeat to Margerete Maria Regi of India. The men's event saw Ale go down in the U-80kg final against Rab Nawaz of Pakistan 33-7. Gobinda Bahadur Ale and (58kg) and Yunisha Rai (49kg) were confined to bronze after making early exits.

Taekwondo coach Dipak Bista expressed satisfaction with the overall team's performance, but lamented that they could have won four more gold medals. "We lost four finals by a very slim margin," said Bista.

He credited the hard work of the players and the joint efforts from all stakeholders, including the National Sports Council and Nepal Taekwondo Association, for the success of the team.