Nepali runners emerged victorious in the ‘Team Event’ at the 3rd edition of the International Mountain Cross Country Race held today in Pokhara, organized by Nepal and its friendly nation China. The race featured a challenging 50 km course that included running, cycling, and rowing.
The winning team from Nepal, comprising Sushil Kumari Shahi, Srijana Paudel, and Shree Kash Rai, completed the event in 4 hours, 20 minutes, and 14 seconds, clinching the championship. The Nepal Army team, consisting of Karan Rawat, Narendra Singh Rawat, and Nirmala Rai, secured second place with a time of 4 hours, 22 minutes, and 29 seconds. The third place was taken by the Armed Police Force team of Laxman Malla, Niraj Bhatta, and Puspa Bhandari, who completed the race in 4 hours, 23 minutes, and 8 seconds.
The winning team in the ‘Team Event’ was awarded NPR 458,400, while the second and third-place teams received NPR 343,800 and NPR 229,200, respectively.
In the ‘Individual Event,’ Chinese athlete Eng Yang Zhen won the men’s race, completing the 50 km course in 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 12 seconds. Nepali runner Kulbahadur Basnet came in second with a time of 3 hours, 48 minutes, and 2 seconds, while Nepal’s Home Lal Shrestha finished third with 3 hours, 53 minutes, and 33 seconds.
In the women’s individual race, China’s Zheng Wang Rong emerged as the winner, completing the race in 4 hours, 14 minutes, and 48 seconds. Nepali runner Kalpana Budha from Jumla took second place, finishing in 4 hours, 50 minutes, while Nepal Police’s Ram Maya Budha secured third place with a time of 5 hours, 8 minutes, and 18 seconds.
The winners in both the men’s and women’s individual events received NPR 152,800, while the second and third-place winners received NPR 114,600 and NPR 76,400, respectively, along with medals and certificates.
The event was jointly organized by Nepal Tourism Board, Pokhara Metropolitan City, and the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, with the Himalayan Tourism Forum managing the competition.
In total, 19 teams from Nepal and 4 teams from China participated in the team event, while 87 Nepali male and female runners and 29 Chinese athletes competed in the individual race. The event highlighted the growing collaboration between Nepal and China in promoting sports tourism in the region.
Himalayan Tourism Forum’s media coordinator, Engineer Pratik Raj Pahari, provided the details of the competition.
