KATHMANDU: Gopi Chandra Parki of Armed Police Force (APF) Club has been selected to represent Nepal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
He will be competing in the marathon event in the Olympics. Parki’s selection was confirmed after he won the title of the Marathon held in Nepalgunj, Banke on Saturday.
Parki had won a gold medal in the 5,000 meters race in the 13th South Asian Games held in Nepal last December.
In the Nepalgunj marathon, Parki came ahead of 25 athletes, completing 42.195 km race in 2 hr 18 min 59 secs.
Krishna Basnet of Nepali Army came second with a timing of 2 hr 20 min 49 secs. Khagendra Bhat, also of Nepali Army came third clocking 2 hr 27 min 28 secs.
The winners also pocketed a cash prize of Rs. 75,000, Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively.
As qualifying games could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nepal Olympic Committee had decided to select the winner of Nepalgunj marathon to represent Nepal in the Tokyo Olympics.
In the same event, Pushpa Bhandari of APF Club won the women’s half marathon with a timing of 1 hr 26 min 54 secs. She won Rs. 30,000 in cash prize.
