Kathmandu, Aug. 27 -- Except for when Palesha Goverdhan is sparring or training, she always wears a smile. "What is there not to be happy about?" she says, after finishing her day's training inside the Nepal Taekwondo Association building in Satdobato, Lalitpur, a place where she has spent much of her young life.

At just 22, when most people would be thinking of what to do with their lives, Goverdhan has already occupied a place in history.

Her name is the answer to the question: Who won Nepal's first Olympic or Paralympic medal?

In less than a week, it will be one year since Goverdhan etched her name into history with a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. She still vividly recalls the moment of circling the arena of Paris' ico...