KATHMANDU, Oct 23: Veteran squash player Hira Bahadur Thapa announced his retirement on Saturday. He was felicitated on the same day by GB Marketing Private Limited with Rs 100,000.

Deputy Director of Red Bull Nepal Surendra Silwal handed over the amount to Hira. The 49-year-old squash player Hira decided to hang up his racket, ending his 27-year long playing career.

GB Marketing, the distributor of Red Bull in Nepal, which has been supporting Nepali sports by sponsoring different sports events including Martyrs Memorial A Division League, Budda Subba Gold Cup, felicitated Hira amisdt a program at Satdobato Squash Center. 

The 49-year-old Hira, who became national champion for 17 years in a row, hails from Gorkha. He started his playing career from 1989 AD taking part in the HM King's Birthday Cup Open Squash Tournament where he was awarded with the best player title despite losing the semifinal match.  

The fourth Civil Bank Open Squash Championship was the last domestic tournament for Hira, who held the national champion record from 1994 to 2011 AD. His journey as champion started in 1994 after defeating Suresh Gurung in the final of First Mercantile Squash Championship and ended in 2011 being beaten by his son Amrit Thapa in the final of national squash championship.

Hira has represented Nepal in the South Asian Games (SAG) for four occasions including the Ninth SAG in Pakistan, 10th SAG in Sri Lanka, 11th SAG in Bangladesh and 12th SAG in India. Hira had won bronze medal in the ninth SAG. Hira alongside Suresh Gurung, Satya Narayan Shrestha and Janak Thapa had won bronze in the team event of the SAG which is the biggest achievement of Nepali squash. 

Hira had announced his retirement from international career after the 12th SAG. 

 
• hira bahadur thapa
 
• felicitated
 
• rs 100
 
• 000