Kathmandu, Sept. 17 -- Every morning, Pawan Gharti Magar and Rajani Rai travel to a gym that lies kilometres away from where they stay. Magar, who lives in Tokha, rides for around 20 kilometres to reach the Himalayan Fitness and Gym in Satdobato, Lalitpur. Rai, who lives in Jorpati, takes a 15-kilometre ride to reach the same gym.

Magar has a short stature, and Rai is a wheelchair user with an L5 spinal injury. They are the two Nepali para powerlifters who got wildcard entries to the Asian main event, taking place in Nagoya, Japan, from October 18. They will be competing in the bench press category. Training at a nearby gym would have saved them time and resources, and offer more time for recovery after demanding sessions. But the gym in...