Sixteen-year-old Nima Gharti Magar defeated Swechha Jatav of India and Mubashra Akthar of Pakistan in a women’s wushu event to win the first – and so far only – gold medal for Nepal in the ongoing 12th South Asian Games (SAG).
After the win, Nima commented: “Girls are not weaker than boys.”
Nima’s father, Mansur Gharti Magar, was queuing up for petrol in Lalitpur when a friend called him up to break the good news. He rushed home to find that the neighbours had already gathered to celebrate Nima’s success. “My daughter was different from other girls,” said Mansur. “She always wanted to do something new, and I am very proud of her.”
Currently a tenth grader at Nepal Don Bosco School of Siddhipur in Lalitpur, Nima started practicing wushu four years ago. She missed the recent SLC test because she was busy preparing for the SAG, but she is hopeful she will get to sit in the main exams.
Nima’s family is originally from Rolpa and related to Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar and Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun. Their children lived in Mansur’s house in Kotbada, Rolpa during the war. But now, Mansur does not need to boast about his familial ties to the noted Pun couple – his daughter has earned a name for him, too.