Kathmandu, July 3 -- An athlete from remote Karnali Province, Hari Bahadur Rokaya was on Tuesday feted with lifetime achievement award during the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old made foray into athletics in 1984 during the National Athletics Championships claimed a double bronze competing barefooted. In the third National Games held in Birgunj in 1986, Rokaya became the lone athlete from Karnali zone to win a medal among the 173 participants. While Baikuntha Manandhar was ruling the long distance course during the 1980s, Rokaya emerged as a new sensation in the middle distance race in the country.
Rokaya represented Nepal in two Olympics-1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona-besides competing twice each in the Asian Games and...