"The new generation should be given a chance," Shrestha said after winning the women´s singles title in the Second Nepal Police National Badminton Championship on Friday.[break]
The Armed Police Force player, who has dominated Nepali badminton in women´s category ever since her debut in a school level tournament in 1995, says she needs to step aside so that other new players can flourish.
Even at 30, she showed some brilliant moves as she defeated her APF teammate Sabina Panthi 21-17, 21-17 in a competitive final match held at the Nepal Police Club.
“I´m not as aggressive outside the court as I am inside it,” said the mother of a four-year-old son. Her husband Rajiv Dahal is also a national badminton player.
“How long shall I keep playing? I want to become a coach now,” she said. The top player said she will be attending a 10-month coaching training in Patiyala, India, in coming August. Until she embarks on her journey as a coach, she will remain in the court as a player.
Shrestha is the only player to win five national championship titles in women´s singles in Nepal. She also won gold medals in the team event, mixed doubles and women´s doubles in the latest edition of the National Badminton Championship held in August.
Shrestha was also a member of the Nepali badminton team that won bronze in the women´s team event during the 11th South Asian Games in Dhaka.
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