October 7: Karate player Erika Gurung has secured silver medal for Nepal upon reaching the final of women’s 68-kg kumite event of karate in the ongoing 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

“A historic SILVER MEDAL in Karate at the 19th Asian Games! This achievement marks a new chapter in the legacy of our karate athletes,” the National Sports Council, the apex sports governing body of Nepal, wrote on its Facebook page.

This is the first time that Nepal secured silver medal in individual event in the Asian games in the last 25 years, when Sabita Rajbhandari had bagged the honours in taekwondo for Nepal in 1998. Although Nepal had secured silver medal recently in the Asiad held in Indonesia, it was in group event of paragliding. Besides these three silver medals, Nepal has never secured better results in the Asian Games, which is the biggest sporting event after the Olympics.

Karate player Gurung defeated Yan Kai Ho of Hong Kong in women’s 68-kg category with a score of 8-4 in the semi-finals held earlier on Saturday before being ousted by Sofia Berultseva of Kazakhstan 3-0 to settle for the silver medal.

Earlier, in the quarterfinal, Gurung defeated Yujuki Saway of Japan on the basis of golden score. Both of them had secured equal 1-1 point in the match.

So far, Nepal has won only two medals in the ongoing Asian Games. Earlier on Friday, the women's kabaddi team of Nepal had won a bronze medal.