Army’s Vinod and Purnalakshmi Crowned Winners at Lumbini International Peace Marathon
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- At the 4th Lumbini International Peace Marathon, Vinod Rokaya and Purnalakshmi Nyaupane from the Tribhuvan Army Club emerged as champions.
- Vinod completed the men’s marathon in 2 hours 17 minutes 55 seconds to secure first place, while Purnalakshmi finished the women’s half marathon in 1 hour 17 minutes 10 seconds.
- The event was organized by the Nepal Olympic Committee with support from the Chinese Embassy and took place in Lumbini.
March 20, Kathmandu – At the 4th Lumbini International Peace Marathon 2026, Vinod Rokaya and Purnalakshmi Nyaupane of the Tribhuvan Army Club claimed top honors. Vinod took the title in the men’s marathon, while Purnalakshmi triumphed in the women’s half marathon.
The competition, held at the sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site of Lumbini, was dominated by Army athletes. They secured the top three positions in the men’s marathon. Vinod clinched first place by completing the race in 2 hours 17 minutes 55 seconds, followed by Sushil Kumar Shahi in second place with a time of 2:18:16, and Narendra Singh Raut finishing third at 2:19:58.
Chinese runner Wang Chi placed fourth, with Julius Wakome from Kenya finishing fifth. Dalbahadur Kunwar ranked sixth, Ishah Nungu seventh, Kul Bahadur Basnet eighth, Hari Rimal ninth, and Karn Bahadur Roka Magar secured tenth place.
Vinod, the men’s marathon winner, received a cash prize of NPR 350,000. Second place Sushil was awarded NPR 250,000, and third place Narendra earned NPR 150,000. Monetary awards were also distributed to other top ten finishers accordingly.
In the women’s half marathon, Purnalakshmi secured first place with a finish time of 1 hour 17 minutes 10 seconds, while the previous edition’s champion, Santoshi Shrestha, finished second with a time of 1:18:40. Purnalakshmi had placed second behind Santoshi in the prior event.
Army’s Nisha Sarki took third place clocking 1:19:19, and Sunseri’s Rokaya ranked fourth with 1:21:46. Ruwan Siing came in fifth, followed by Kalpana Budha (sixth), Rajyalaxmi Rawal (seventh), Sandibha Budha (eighth), Ashma Bik (ninth), and Rasila Tamang at tenth place.
The women’s half marathon winner Purnalakshmi received NPR 150,000 as prize money, Santoshi, the runner-up, was awarded NPR 100,000, and Nisha took home NPR 80,000. Other participants also received cash prizes alongside their awards.
In the veterans’ 5km race, Dharma Maharjan secured first place followed by Ramchandra Shrestha and Revat Bahadur Dahal in second and third positions respectively. The men’s open 5km race saw Nageshwar Ahir of the Nepal Police Club claim first place, with Army’s Rupesh Karki coming second and India’s Prince Nisad finishing third.
In the women’s 5km category, Dipshikha Shahi finished first, Swastika Shahi second, and Budha third. For the men’s 5km, Yuvraj Budha led runners up, followed by Ramesh Budha in second and Arvind Kumar Yadav in third.
A 3km walkathon was also held in conjunction with the marathon. The event was organized by the Nepal Olympic Committee with assistance from the Chinese Embassy.
Winners were honored with prizes, medals, and certificates presented by NOC Chairman Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Vice Chairman and coordinator Ashok Bajracharya, among others.
