Nagoya, Sept. 20 -- Nepal's karate team, including Erika Gurung, came within touching distance of three medals at the 20th Asian Games on Sunday, only to fall short. The unexpected results in karate have dented Nepal's medal prospects at the Games in Japan.

At the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Nagoya, Erika reached the semifinals after winning one bout. But she lost in the semifinals and then in the repechage for the bronze medal. Min Bahadur Tamang and Rakesh Manandhar also fell in the semifinals.

Nepali karate community had expected a gold medal from Erika, who won silver at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, three years ago. But she ended up missing even the chance to win bronze. In the bronze-medal repechage, Erika lost 8-7 to Saudi Arabi...