South Asian Games 2019: 3 takeaways from the kabaddi event

#2 First-time silver medalists in kabaddi event of South Asian Games

Sri Lankan men's Kabaddi team

The kabaddi event in the South Asian Games 2019 witnessed the Sri Lankan men's Kabaddi team and Nepali women's Kabaddi team enter into the final for the first time in South Asian Games history. Both sides claimed a silver medal following their defeat to India in the gold medal match.

The Sri Lankan men's team began the competition with an upset win over Pakistan (29-27) on the opening day before they fell short against India by a 49-16 margin in their second match. However, the team came back strong with two consecutive victories over the hosts Nepal (34-22) and Bangladesh (35-20) to book their spot in the summit clash.

Nepali women's Kabaddi team

In the women's category, Nepal showed their competent side with victories over the 2016 silver medalists Bangladesh (36-25) and Sri Lanka (28-24) to earn a spot in the final. Nepal fell to their only loss against India in the group stages.

The Sri Lankan men's team and Nepali women's side lost to India (51-18 & 50-13) in both categories in the final. However, it was a matter of pride for them to emerge as a competitive side with no prior experience in the sport.