Kathmandu, May 12 -- On December 4, 2019, when taekwondoin Kajal Shrestha won gold in the 13th South Asian Games, she couldn't fight back her tears. Once the time was up and Shrestha was leading 50-14 against the Pakistani athlete, she took off her helmet and let out a loud shriek. The crowd erupted. Shrestha hugged her coach, took the Nepali flag and went running around the mat at the hall of the Nepal Taekwondo Academy in Satdobato, Lalitpur. Then she cried.

Shrestha had her hardships-from being a rebel at home to starting taekwondo to becoming the best taekwondo fighter in South Asia in the -46kg category. From securing her first gold at the 2nd NECOS National Taekwondo Championship in 2013 to her last gold at the 9th National Games i...