BANKE: The Sagarmatha Swimming Club from Lalitpur clinched the title of the second Nepalgunj National Swimming Championship 2025 with a dominating score of 272 points.

The three-day event, organized by the Nepalgunj Swimming Club in Banke, featured 150 athletes from across the country competing in 56 swimming events.

The top three saw James School (Lalitpur) taking second place with 135 points and Shikha Academy (Kohalpur, Banke) finishing third with 52 points.

Other teams that scored included Little Angels School (46), Adarsha Secondary School (35), Koshi Province (20), Uniglobe School (11), Springdale School (10), Rai School (9), Nepalgunj Swimming Club (8), and Bageshwori Academy (4).

Individually, Sagarmatha Club’s Arek Karmacharya was named Outstanding Male Player after winning an impressive seven gold medals.

Rija Awale earned the title of Outstanding Female Player with five medals. Both star athletes were rewarded with Rs 5,000 each.

The first-place trophy was jointly awarded by Nepalgunj Mayor Prashant Bista, Nepal Swimming Association President Jagatman Shrestha, and Banke Police Chief Angur GC.

The championship’s success has spurred new commitments for the region. Club President Keshav Raj Neupane announced the club’s energy to host international-level competitions soon.

Similarly, the Nepal Swimming Association pledged to organize a future National Swimming Competition, including departmental and institutional teams, in Nepalgunj.

In a boost for local athletes, Mahesh Chand, Office Chief of the Mid-Western Sports Development Committee, announced free access to the Nepalgunj Stadium swimming pool for all medal winners of this championship to support local swimming development.