Kathmandu: Nepali boxer Chandra Bahadur Thapa returned home on December 14 after winning a historic bronze medal at the AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championship held in the UAE.
Competing in the 54 kg weight category, Chandra defeated boxers from Armenia, Indonesia and Iran to secure the bronze medal. He also won a cash prize of USD 75,000. In the semifinals, he was defeated by a boxer from Kazakhstan, who is ranked seventh in the world. Chandra is the only Nepali boxer to have won a medal at the world boxing championship.
Following his achievement, Chandra was given a grand welcome upon his arrival in Nepal.
A total of five Nepali boxers participated in the championship held from December 3 to 14. Lal Prasad Upreti competed in the 48 kg category and reached the quarterfinals, earning USD 10,000. Phunglang Kambang (51 kg), Khagendra Roka Magar (60 kg) and Deepak Shrestha (80 kg) were eliminated in the first round.
The Nepali team was coached by Prakash Thapa Magar, Deepak Maharjan and Sujit Pun Magar.
