Samden Gyalbo Sherpa and Nimisha Pakhrin emerged winners of the first-ever national-level Open Skate Marathon competition jointly organized by the Nepal Skating and Skateboarding Association and The Skateland Skatepark Gokarna on Saturday.

In the 5-kilometer competition from Sundarijal to The Skateland Skatepark in Gokarna, Samden won, while Anish Gurung came second and Safal Thapa came third. In the women's category, Monika Magar came second and Siwani Regmi came third.

Chief coach Dilip Raj Baral informed that about 200 domestic and foreign athletes participated in the men's and women's events. NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Gokarneshwor Municipality Mayor Deepak Kumar Rijal, and Skating Association President Achyut Khanal inaugurated the competition and awarded the athletes. The winner received 50,000, the second 30,000, and the third 15,000. NOC President Shrestha expressed confidence that Nepali athletes will win medals not only here, but also at the international level through skating.