Ghodaghodi Municipality honors record-breaking athlete and recognizes academic excellence

Kailali: Ghodaghodi Municipality in Kailali has honored athlete Sangita BK with a cash award of Rs 100,000 for setting a new record in the women’s 400-meter race at the 22nd Asian U-20 Athletics Championship 2026 held in Hong Kong.

Athlete BK, representing Ghodaghodi Municipality, was felicitated by Mayor Khadak Rawat during a program organized on Saturday to recognize outstanding schools, sports clubs, coaches, players, and students. The event also included the distribution of educational materials, scholarships, and sports equipment to helpless and underprivileged children. Her coach, Tej Deuba, was also honored.

Sangita achieved a historic milestone in Nepali athletics by completing the women’s 400-meter race in 59.61 seconds, breaking the 15-year-old national U-20 record set by Manisha Adhikari in Kathmandu in 2011.

On the same occasion, Dipesh Regmi, a student of National Secondary School Sukhad, was awarded Rs 10,000 for achieving outstanding results in the SEE examination within the municipality. Additionally, 15 students from community and institutional schools who secured top positions in the SEE examination were awarded certificates along with cash prizes of Rs 10,000, Rs 7,500, and Rs 5,000 for first, second, and third positions respectively. A total of 23 students who achieved a 4 GPA in the Grade 8 examination were also honored with certificates and Rs 5,000 each.

Schools, both institutional and community, that recorded excellent results in the Grade 8 and SEE examinations were also recognized. During the program, the municipality distributed educational materials to 134 helpless and underprivileged children and provided annual scholarships of Rs 9,000 to 11 meritorious students from community schools studying science.

Sports clubs received cricket and football equipment, and sports coaches were honored as part of the initiative. Mayor Khadak Rawat stated that the municipality is prioritizing education, health, sports, tourism, and infrastructure development. He added that various programs have been launched to establish the municipality as a leading educational hub in the Far West, with plans for increased investment in education and sports.

Deputy Mayor Guliya Chaudhary emphasized that prosperity in Ghodaghodi is not possible without quality education and noted that academic achievements have enhanced the municipality’s reputation. She highlighted the role of sports in protecting youth from addiction and stated that sports activities will be expanded further. She also noted that educational materials were distributed to ensure that no student is deprived of education due to financial constraints.

At the event, Dipendra Subedi, Principal of Janajyoti Secondary School, said that community schools can achieve excellent results through hard work, discipline, and quality teaching. He stressed the importance of collective efforts from teachers, students, and parents.

Khagendra Bahadur Singh, Head of the Education Branch of Ghodaghodi Municipality, stated that the municipality is committed to developing Ghodaghodi as a center for education and sports, adding that such programs aim to encourage students and athletes.