A golden era of Karate came to an end as Deepak Shrestha announced his retirement on Saturday. Shrestha, who has two South Asian Games (SAG) gold medals to his name, is the most successful karate player in the history of the country. Shrestha was the semi-finalist at the 15th Asian Game, 2006 in Doha and quarter-finalist at the Senior World Karate Championship in Mexico. He has more than a dozen gold medals in the national arena.
Unlike many players who disappear into thin dust, Shrestha received one the most grand farewell of all times. He received a TATA Tripper for his contribution to the sports from Growing Pvt. Ltd. The market price of the tripper is worth around Rs. 2.8 million. In addition, he got a Pulsar motorcycle worth Rs. 180,000 from Birendra Maharjan of Maharjan Service Committee, who is also a member of Nepal Karate Association.
“There are very few occasions when I have become this emotional in my 17 year old career,” said Shrestha thanking Growing Pvt. Ltd. “I feel I have accomplished everything as a player toady. I shall never be able to pay back your debt.” He said the sum total of his life as a player was the medals and the newspaper cuttings he has displayed in his living room. He also remembered his coaches who had moulded him into a player he turned out to be “I did not earn all this success on my own. Remembering his coaches, Shrestha said, “I would like to give special thanks to my coaches Min Krishna Maharjan and Awakar Shah.”
The ace player said he was thankful his hard work had not gone in vain. “I am delighted that his hard work was followed and appreciated. This will aspire the new generation to get into sports.”
Speaking at the programme, President of Nibeco Pvt. Ltd, said, “Our aim is to at boost the morale of the players and get the negative thought out of their mind.”
Likewise, Raj Bahadur Singh of Growing Pvt. Ltd, added, ” This is our small effort to address the problem players face after retirement.”
Reflecting back on the highs and the lows of his career, Shrestha recalled the time he had come back home with an international award only to find out that he had lost his job at the National Sports Council (NSC). He thanked NSC and Nepal Olympic Committee fort their support.
Despite retiring, Shrestha said he would still be involved with his beloved game as coach or as an official. “I shall dedicate the rest of my life in nurturing young talents into great players.”
Shrestha is the fourth player to receive vehicle as an award. Earlier, footballer Hari Khakda, Upendra Man Singh and taekwondo player Sangeena Baidya had received Toyota Yaris car as a reward for their contribution to their games.
