Local girls have become more enthusiastic about sports after Kalpana Budha of Jumla won the ultra marathon for the second time in a row.
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There is still a difference between sons and daughters in society. There is a mentality that daughters should not be sent out of the house. But 18-year-old Kalpana Budha of Peregaun, Patarasi Rural Municipality-2, Jumla, planned to leave the village after completing her basic education.
She vowed to make the district and the country famous by running, and for three years she started running with record-breaking runner Hari Bahadur Rokaya. As a result, she has been able to win the gold medal in the women's category in the Jumla Rara Marathon for two consecutive years.
Kalpana won the gold medal in the Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon organized by Karnali Sports Club Jumla on Saturday. This was her second success. Defeating Sunsari Rokaya and Sandeva Budha, who were running together, Kalpana set a record as a runner who has won the title for two consecutive years. She covered the 54-kilometer distance from Jumla to Raratal in 7 hours, 7 minutes and 12 seconds in this year's marathon. She won gold medals both times and also received a prize of one lakh rupees each.
Kalpana says that she is looking for a future in running, trying to break the traditional beliefs about daughters in society. 'Society is trapped by the traditional mentality that daughters cannot do anything except household chores,' Kalpana said, 'I have taken up athletics to completely break that mentality.' Her family and village are surprised to see her daughter's success. Those who said that daughters should not run are now openly praising her. She covered the distance in 7 hours, 51 minutes and 32 seconds in last year's Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon. At that time, the distance was 51 kilometers.
Along with regular running training, she has been giving equal emphasis to her studies. Rajya Lakshmi Rawal and Sandeva Budha came second and third respectively. With her inspiration, many teenagers in the district have now started practicing running. Most of the winners of the seventh edition of the Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon have been recruited as athletes in the Nepali Army and Police.
With the inspiration of runner Hari Bahadur, she has been involved in athletics for the past three years. Kalpana's father personally reached out to runner Rokaya and urged her to become a better athlete. Runner Rokaya said, ‘Now Kalpana is not just a player of a region and district but is trying to become a jewel of the entire nation.’ According to him, Kalpana has participated in events in Bangalore, Dubai, Hong Kong and other places. She has participated in the races in Annapurna, Rukum West, Surkhet, Pokhara Marathon and Manjushree Trail Race twice in Nepal.
Kalpana, who is currently associated with the Karnali Sports Club, passed grade 12 from Chandannath Secondary School. Peregaun is also home to famous runners Sunmaya and Rammaya Budha. Currently, runner Rokaya is training more than 20 people. Runner Rokaya said, ‘There is a strong desire for sports among teenagers but there is no government support.’ Rokaya has also accused the local level of neglecting the sports sector. "There are many talented athletes like Kalpana in Durgam," he said, "but due to financial constraints, family constraints, and government neglect, talent is not being properly evaluated." Fifteen women, including one Indian, participated in this year's marathon.
