Nepali karate is preparing for another big achievement. Erica Gurung, who has taken Nepali karate to new heights in the last two years, is preparing for the same. Along with Erica, Sanumaya Thing is also preparing herself to achieve that achievement.

These two players are playing in the World Karate Championship next week. Erika and Sanumaya will be participating from Nepal in the 27th World Championship to be held in Cairo, Egypt from November 27-30. This is the first time Nepal is playing in the World Championship by playing in a qualifying tournament. Erika is competing in kumite and Sanumaya is competing in kata.

Erika came close to qualifying directly in the qualifiers held in Paris, France last month. Erika, who won three fights in the preliminary round, lost her last 16 match to Austria's Laura Ziller despite taking an early lead. If she had won that match, she would have qualified within the top 6. However, Erika defeated Slovenia's Maria Zibret Zala, Malaysia's Mirza Amira Suhada Binti Faisal and Brazil's Brenda Pereira, who were ranked higher than her in the DLUKF. With the help of this performance, she has qualified for the World Championship in the Universality Quota. 

Sanumaya, on the other hand, had already secured a trip to Cairo based on her excellent performance in the Continental Championship before qualifying in Paris. The 21st Asian Senior Karate Championship was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in May. In that, Sanumaya performed excellently in single kata and took fifth place.

How is Nepal preparing for the World Championship? Head coach Kushal Shrestha says that he is preparing Erica and Sanumaya to achieve better than the best results. He says, ‘We did not prepare separately for the World Championship. The training for Mission 2026 was ongoing. We have taken this championship as a support for our goal in the Japan Asian Games.’

Coach Shrestha, who has been the driver of Erica’s many historic successes in the last two years, sees the possibility of the Cairo trip proving to be a milestone for Nepali karate. Erica's 'strength' is what has made Coach Shrestha see opportunities, challenges and possibilities in the World Championship.

He interpreted it as, 'Playing in the World Championship through selection is a great opportunity for us, where one by one players from the world are selected. It will not be easy to play with them. There is also a challenge in that. However, Erica's potential is equally strong. Erica has already won over the same players in competitions like qualifiers, Premier League, and series, which will boost her morale. This also increases our medal chances.'

Erica, who raised the profile of Nepali karate by winning a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, is expecting gold from next year's Asian Games (Nagoya, Japan). Therefore, while 'Mission 2026' is a training link for the Nepali national team preparation, the championships are becoming a big platform for karate players to be exposed.

Coach Shrestha believes that the World Championship trip will be of great help for the Asian Games. "We get a chance to test ourselves by playing against world-class players. We get to correct ourselves in many ways, which will be a positive aspect for us. Which will further help in our preparations for the Asian Games. The results will come in the form of wins and losses. A bigger opportunity for us is exposure," said Coach Shrestha. He also has experience of playing in the World Championship. Therefore, he feels that playing in the World Championship is a big dream for Nepali players. 

Both men and women will compete in 6-6 weight groups in the World Championship. Erica is a competitor in the women's 68 kg weight category, while Sanumaya will compete in the women's single kata. 32 players will participate in each weight category. The players will be divided into 8 groups of 4 players each. After the league stage, the top two players from each group will advance to the last 16. Then there will be a knockout stage.

Erica considers the World Championship as an Olympic participation for herself. "Every player dreams of playing in the Olympics. That is mine too. But karate is not included in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. So for me, the World Championship is the Olympics. I will increase my exposure by playing with the world's top players,' Erica, who received the title of Himalayan Warrior from the Nepal Karate Federation, explained her goal, 'Getting there and learning is also a big achievement for us.'

'What our teachers learned by playing the World Championship, today we are getting great inspiration from that experience. What we learn tomorrow will be for the future generation, so I have taken it as an opportunity and achievement,' Erica added.

Kataki Sanumaya also aims to make the World Championship memorable by giving her best performance possible. She says, 'This is a big opportunity in the life of an athlete. Such an opportunity may not come in the future, but I will make full use of it now and give a good performance. When the performance is good, success will come. That is where I am preparing with a goal.' 

Sanumaya, who finished fifth in Tashkent, also has experience in winning international medals. She won gold and silver in the 9th South Asian Karate Championship, 10th World Sitorio Karate, bronze in Indonesia, and gold in the Karate Championship in India. She is improving herself in kata under her coach Mandekaji Shrestha. Mandekaji is also a player who won double gold in kata at the 13th SAG.

Coach Shrestha says that the Nepal Karate Federation and the National Sports Council have fully supported her participation in the World Championship. ‘When you go to play in other championships, the coaches and players have to invest themselves, which causes financial losses to the players and they cannot give the expected results. The association and the council have promised to provide all support for this championship. That is why we will travel to Cairo with confidence and achieve good results,’ said Shrestha.