Nepal’s first Paralympic medallist returns home to hero’s welcome

Nepal gave its first Paralympic medallist a hero’s welcome as cheering crowds turned out for taekwondo player Palesha Goverdhan’s return home from Paris.

“I kept my promise, I brought a medal back home. This achievement is not just for me, but for everyone,” Goverdhan, 21, who won bronze at the 2024 Paralympic Games, said in a speech after her arrival on Wednesday.

It was the first podium finish at the Paralympics for the Himalayan nation, which has never won a medal at the Olympics.

Goverdhan said it had been a “long wait” for Nepal to win a medal.

“It was thought to be impossible … I believe that now young taekwondo players and other players can see it is possible,” she said.

Traditional music and an army band played as Goverdhan – draped in the national flag, marigold garlands and traditional Buddhist scarves – emerged to loud cheers at Kathmandu’s airport.

Goverdhan, who is studying architectural engineering in China, won bronze in the women’s K44-57kg para taekwondo category, beating Serbia’s Marija Micev 15-8.

Born with a congenital limb deficiency on her left hand, Goverdhan took up martial arts at school when she was 10.

Her father Pradeep Goverdhan said her coach spotted her talent and suggested she train professionally.

Sugam Bhattarai, from Nepal’s National Federation of the Disabled, said he hoped the victory would help others achieve their goals.

“Her achievement has not only brought glory to Nepal but has also shined a spotlight on the potential of para-athletes in a country where para-sports have often been underfunded and overlooked,” he said.

“I hope it will encourage investment in para-sports. It is the same national flag, no matter who raises it,” he said.

Goverdhan became the first Nepali athlete to win a medal at the Asian Para Games with a bronze in 2022. She won gold at the Asian Youth Para Games the year earlier.

She also won the bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Para Taekwondo Championship in Vietnam.

Goverdhan finished fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and said in interviews before Paris she was “aiming for gold”.

“I am filled with immense pride for having achieved this victory for our beloved nation,” Goverdhan said on social media.

“The countless hours of hard work and dedication have truly paid off, and the feeling is simply overwhelming.”