Asian Games Heartbreak: Thapa Magar's Early Exit
In Nagoya, under the bright lights of Nishio Gymnasium, Nepal’s standard-bearer walked in with pedigree, expectation and a bronze from the world stage. He walked out with an early exit.
Chandra Bahadur Thapa Magar, one of Nepal’s most decorated active boxers, lost his preliminary bout in the men’s up to 55 kg category to India’s Jadumani Singh Mandengbam, beaten on a unanimous 5–0 decision at the Asian Games.
All five judges sided with the Indian. The scorecards told the story: 30–27, 29–28, 29–28, 30–27, 30–27. Three rounds, three minutes each, and not a single judge leaning Nepal’s way.
The contest had its flashpoint in the final round. Thapa Magar was officially credited with a knockdown after he fell to the canvas following a push from Mandengbam. It counted on the record, but not in the way a fighter dreams of. The incident only underlined how little was going his way on a difficult night.
From world podium to early exit
The defeat stings because of what came before it.
Last year, Thapa Magar climbed onto the podium at the IBA Men’s World Championships, claiming bronze and forcing his name into the global conversation in the 51–54 kg division. The International Boxing Association ranked him third in the world in that elite category. In Nagoya, he carried Nepal’s flag at the opening ceremony, a symbol of where he stood in his country’s sporting hierarchy.
But tournament boxing is unforgiving. One off night, one opponent in rhythm, and a campaign ends before it ever feels like it has begun.
Nepal’s rough start in the ring
Thapa Magar’s defeat continued a bleak run for Nepal’s boxing team at these Games. He became the third Nepali fighter to fall at the first hurdle.
On the same day, Ramisha Shrestha bowed out in the women’s up to 51 kg division, losing to Vietnam’s Thi Tham Nguyen, also by a unanimous 0–5 decision on the cards. A day earlier, Dan Bahadur Darlami had met the same fate in the men’s up to 70 kg category, beaten by Iraq’s Ali Qasim Hamdan Al-Sarray, again on a unanimous verdict.
Three boxers in, three boxers out. No split decisions, no razor-thin escapes. The margins on the scorecards left little room for argument.
Hope in the remaining corners
Nepal is not done yet.
Seven boxers entered these Asian Games; three have already seen their campaigns end, but four still have a chance to change the tone of the story.
In the men’s up to 60 kg category, Hagendra Roka Magar was scheduled to face Macau’s Elvin John Reyes Salinas. In the up to 65 kg division, Kusum Tamang drew China’s Shu Li, a stern test against one of the region’s traditional powerhouses. Rabin Nepal lined up against Thailand’s Jakkaphong Yomkhot in the up to 90 kg category, a matchup that promises heavy exchanges. Asmita Duwal, meanwhile, carries Nepal’s hopes in the women’s up to 54 kg class.
For now, the headline belongs to a shock exit: a world bronze medallist and national flag bearer gone in the preliminaries. The question that hangs over Nagoya is simple and sharp — can the remaining Nepali boxers turn a bruising start into a late surge, or will this Asian Games be remembered as an opportunity that slipped through their gloves?
