Memories of Incheon 2014: Nepal’s Journey

Although team Nepal didn’t fare as well as the other nations, there was still much to be told on their story in Incheon

Photo: Bimala Tamang poses with Nepal’s first and only Bronze medal after defeating Jyu Kang of DPR Korea

As the underdogs across most events, Nepal benefitted from relatively low expectations. The Himalayan nation began with the men’s footballing event, under the coaching of Jack Stefanowski, a polish-born American. Despite performing well in the subcontinental tournament (the 2013 SAFF Championship), Nepal had been placed in a difficult group with the likes of Japan, Iraq, and Kuwait.

“If Nepalese players can increase more stamina, they can do better in international football”

Nevertheless the team was sure to put on a good show with national heroes such as Anil Gurung, Rohit Chand, and Rabin Shrestha on the squad list. However, the team finished last place in Group D without scoring a single goal.

Japan’s coach Teguramori Makoto was quoted by HelloNepalKorea with key advice for future tournaments.

“If Nepalese players can increase more stamina, they can do better in international football”, advised Teguramori, “[Nepal] needs to play quick football and you need to have good stamina for a fast-paced game”

Upon arrival on Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal), Jack Stefanowski was in a positive mood. “It was a good exposure to the new boys coming in the team. We played against very strong opponents and the experience will help us give a better performance in the days to come,” said Stefanowski.

Stefanowski also added that team was still in the process of preparation for the upcoming 2015 SAFF Championships, and that regular training and effective defending was very much needed in the team.

Nepal’s women basketball side

In other sports, Nepal fell short of qualifying in the Women’s basketball after going down to Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, and Mongolia. Nepal were due to also face Qatar, however the controversial walkover ensured an automatic victory to Nepal.

Nepal has been developing their dominance in basketball since 2002, with the SABA (South Asia Basketball Association) Championship’s performance in 2013 and 2014, earning them 3rd and 4th place respectively.

The Nepalese team left the court after being awarded the walkover victory

There was also a lot of promise with the swimming prodigy and Nepal’s Popular Player of the Year nominee, Sirish Gurung, who currently holds several national records, including the fastest swimmer for 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle (which he broke during the heats at the the 2014 Asian Games), 200m individual medley, and 400m individual medley (as recognised and ratified by the Nepal Swimming Association).

“ It was my dream to participate in the Asian Games after the Olympics and represent my country Nepal”

Photo: Sirish Gurung (R) and Sofia Shah (L) pose with fellow athletes before the opening ceremony

Also teammate, Sofia Shah, holds similar accolades in the 50m freestyle (at the World Swimming Championships), and 100m freestyle. In an interview with the Incheon Asian Games crew blog, Sirish gave his take on how the games went for him, his teammates, and Nepal.

“This was the first time I took part in Asian Games”, adds Sirish, “it was my dream to participate in the Asian Games after the Olympics and represent my country Nepal”

“4 years ago we had a family trip to China and I got chance to see few games of Guangzhou Asian Games and that time I thought if I could get chance one day or not.”

Regarding Sirish’s achievement’s at Incheon, the young prodigy was filled with excitement as he recalled his moment of glory. “My performance was pretty good at the Asian games”, says Sirish, “I broke the national record for 200m freestyle and I also got chance to swim in the same heats with the former world Champion Park Tae Hwan of Korea”

Bajracharya/Malla: Nepal’s men’s table tennis duo with their Chinese counterparts

Moreover, the Nepalese Cricket team had high hopes for success as well. This was the case after experiencing a fantastic run of victories in the U-16s, and 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. However to the disappointment of fans, Nepal failed to clinch the critical areas of success within these sporting events when pitted against larger teams.

“Nepal is a poor country but at least they managed to win a medal”

The women’s table tennis side pose for a brief photo

Nonetheless, the stars aligned for Nepal as the young Bimala Tamang earned her country’s first medal at the women’s Kata contest (karate). As this was Nepal’s first and only bronze medal, Bimala Tamang’s emphatic victory helped to secure Nepal’s position in the finally medal table.

It is no understatement when many claim that Tamang’s progression into the semi finals was an incredible achievement for the country, as the finals was in clear sight. However, dreams of a gold and silver was dashed after Bimala Tamang was defeated by Vietnam’s Nguyen Hoang Ngan (0–5) in the women’s singles.

Tamang emerges victorious with a bronze medal for Nepal

Despite the disappointment, and being grouped with North Korea in the bronze medal playoffs, Bimala managed to best Jyu Kang 5–0 to register Nepal’s first and only medal in Incheon. Truly a historic moment, and one that many will keep in their memories at Incheon. Though there is still much to improve on, namely the training methods for athletes.

“Well, talking about the future of swimming in Nepal, it’s really difficult for swimmers of Nepal to compete against international swimmers”, claims Sirish, “We only get to train 5 months a year and in that 5 months we have to take part in many national level competitions as we don't have hot water swimming pool in Nepal (and in the Winter we can't train in the outdoor pool.”

“We train so hard in those 5 months, we improve our times, build endurance, and when winter comes we are forced to rest while the swimmers from other countries get to train throughout the year”

“Only dryland training is not enough to compete in international meets.. The equipments available in our pool is also not enough..”

Sporting infrastructure is still in its development stage in Nepal, hence the shortfall in international standard. However, it can still be said that Nepal is performing a lot better than they should given this disadvantage. Naziya Khan, a fan writes, “Nepal is a poor country but at least they managed to win a medal! If more facilities are provided to their athletes they will perform more better and bring more medal in future. Best of luck to Nepal for future.”

So it can only be concluded that after overcoming the hurdles, overall success should follow. It’s onwards and upwards from here as Nepal looks towards their next major international tournament, the prestigious South Asian Games in 2015.

Nepal supporters with members of Nepal’s women’s basketball team

And with that, Nepal leaves Incheon on an incredible high. Many will leave South Korea without a medal, however, with them they’ll take home something far more special; a lasting legacy of the core values of Asiads, friendship, and an experience that no other sporting event could offer. Nepal is getting ready for another adventure.

Thank you, Incheon. Jakarta, here we come!