Nepal’s Palesha Goverdhan on Sunday etched history as she became the first Nepali Paralympian to qualify for an Olympic event, securing a spot at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

Goverdhan, who competed in the K44 57 kg weight category, secured the top spot after registering a 5-4 victory over Iran’s Leila Mirzae in the finals of the Asian Qualification Tournament for Paris 2024 Paralympics held in Taiyang, China.

Earlier, the 20-year-old taekwondo player, who was born without a palm on her right hand, had defeated Karima Melikujieva of Uzbekistan in the semis by an impressive score of 18-2 before vying against Mirzae on Sunday.

Goverdhan had become only the third Nepali taekwondo athlete to compete in the Olympics in 2020 after earning a wildcard for Tokyo.

Goverdhan, the winner of the historic bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Para-taekwondo Open Championship in Vietnam, had become only the third Nepali taekwondo player to vie in the Olympics in 2020. She had missed the qualifiers due to the Covid-19 pandemic but had earned a wildcard for Tokyo.

Before her, Sangina Baidya (2004 in Greece) and Deepak Bista (2008 in Beijing) had represented Nepal in the international multi-sport event.

Goverdhan will be amongst 60 other female taekwondo players, competing in five categories at the Paris Paralympics next year.

“I have qualified for the Paris Paralympics, have won gold for the country,” Goverdhan told the Post. “[I] hope I can win gold in Paris as well.”

In 2021, Goverdhan had missed out on the opportunity to win Nepal’s first-ever Paralympic medal after she lost her women’s K44 below 58 kg weight category repechage bronze medal final to China’s Li Yujie at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

However, she had created history becoming the only Nepali athlete to have won a match at either Olympic or Paralympic Games.