Bagmati dominate 15th President Running Shield

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 14: The 15th edition of the Central President Running Shield Tournament wrapped up on Friday, with Bagmati Province dominating the medal tally, grabbing 36 gold medals.

Bagmati came away with a total of 54 medals, including seven silver and 19 bronze. Sudurpaschim Province finished second on the board with 14 gold, 20 silver, and 18 bronze medals. Lumbini secured third with five gold, 13 silver, and 15 bronze medals. Gandaki clinched fourth after picking up four gold, 19 silver, and 17 bronze medals. Karnali bagged four gold, six silver, and 19 bronze medals to finish in fifth spot. Madhesh pocketed three gold, two silver, and 10 bronze medals, while Koshi ended at the bottom with seven silver and eight bronze medals.

Bagmati came out on top in Karate, Kabaddi, Taekwondo, Wushu, and Athletics. Their biggest haul came in Athletics, where they snagged 12 gold medals. They also notched seven golds in Karate and Taekwondo, two in Kabaddi, and eight in Wushu.

On the final day, the athletics event witnessed another record-breaker. Anisha Tharu from Bagmati smashed the junior national record in the girls’ triple jump. She leaped 11.27 meters to clinch gold, breaking Keshary Chaudhary’s 18-year-old record of 10.80 meters from 2064 BS.

National records were also set in the 4x100 relay for both boys and girls. Bagmati’s squad of Prabin Rana Magar, Santa Darai, Subin Lama, and Niraj Shah clocked 43.4 seconds, shaving off the two-year-old record of 44 seconds. In the girls’ 4x100 relay, Bagmati’s Dina Gopali, Anisha Tharu, Bhagwati Khadka, and Suruchi Moktan posted 51.9 seconds, beating the previous mark of 54.2 seconds from three years ago.

The event is organized to boost grassroots sports and scout talent from every corner of the nation. Inaugurated by President Ram Chandra Paudel, the tournament featured athletes from all seven provinces competing in athletics, volleyball, kabaddi, karate, taekwondo, and wushu. Each province fielded 49 boys and 49 girls, totaling 686 participants.