Nepal’s Paralympic bronze medalist, Palesha Goverdhan, received a grand welcome on Wednesday morning at Tribhuvan International Airport.
High-ranking officials from the National Sports Council, supporters, and sports enthusiasts gathered to celebrate her historic achievement in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Palesha secured Nepal’s first-ever Paralympic medal by defeating Serbia’s Marija Micev 15-8 in the final. This victory marked a significant milestone for Palesha, who made history as Nepal’s first para-taekwondo athlete to compete in the Paralympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games. At just 18, she reached the same stage but narrowly missed out on a medal after losing to China’s Li Yujie in the bronze match.
At the Paris 2024 Games, Li Yujie advanced to the final for gold, defeating reigning world champion Brazil’s Silvana Mayara Cardoso Fernandes in the semi-final. Fernandes, who had earlier defeated Palesha in a closely contested quarter-final match, eventually faced Yujie. Palesha, who led 8-6 with just a minute remaining, lost by a narrow margin of 10-8. The Brazilian celebrated her victory over the fifth-ranked Palesha, who had won the 2023 World Para-Taekwondo Championships.
Despite aiming for gold, Palesha found herself in the repechage round for bronze after her quarter-final loss. In her first match, she faced France’s Sophie Caverzan, holding her ground in front of a loud French crowd to win a low-scoring bout 2-1. This victory set up a rematch against Serbia’s Marija Micev, whom Palesha had previously defeated 23-15 at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Drawing motivation from her past victory, Palesha triumphed once again, securing a 15-8 win over Micev to claim the bronze medal. Her achievement not only marks a personal victory but also a historic moment for Nepal in the Paralympic arena.
