KATHMANDU:- Kazakhstan’s Sofya Berultseva once again shattered Nepal’s Arika Gurung’s hopes of a gold medal, defeating her in the final of the women’s +68kg kumite at the Karate One Premier League in Leshan, China, on Sunday.
It was their third meeting in a final, and the second in the Premier League, but on all three occasions the 11th‑ranked Gurung has fallen to the world number one Kazakh.
Nepal’s most decorated karateka found no answers against the six‑time Karate One gold medallist at the Leshan Olympic Sports Centre tatami.
Berultseva edged Gurung 2‑1 to claim her seventh Premier League gold, adding to her tally of four silvers and six bronzes.
She had reached the final after overcoming Ukraine’s Dariia Bulay in senshu following a 5‑5 draw in the semi‑final.
With this result, Kazakh claims her third title in three events this season, taking a clear lead in the Grand Winner standings.
This marked Gurung’s second successive defeat to Berultseva in the Premier League, having lost 2‑4 in the season’s opening leg in Istanbul in January.
Their rivalry began at the 19th Asian Games, where Berultseva also prevailed to take gold.
Nicknamed the “Himalayan Warrior”, Gurung first appeared in the Premier League in Rabat in May 2025, winning bronze on debut.
She skipped last month’s Rome leg, where Berultseva again took gold.
En route to the final in Leshan, Gurung defeated Italy’s Clio Ferracuti 8‑3 in the semi‑final, her second win over the 15th‑ranked Italian.
She had topped Pool 3 after beating Montenegro’s Jovana Damjanovic 2‑0, drawing 1‑1 with Belarusian Maryia Malakhava but advancing on senshu, and edging world number two Johanna Kneer of Germany 2‑1.
In the quarter‑final, she swept aside Slovenia’s Zala Maria Zibret 8‑0.
Gurung is the first Nepali to compete in karate’s top‑tier series.
Coached by Kushal Shrestha, she has already made history for Nepal, winning the nation’s first gold in the Karate 1 Series A in 2025, its first Premier League bronze the same year, and silver in Istanbul earlier this season.
Her record also includes silver medals at the 20th Asian Senior Championships in 2024, the Asian Games, and the Karate 1 Youth League in Fujairah in 2025 (U‑21).
She has also won gold at the 10th WSKF Championship in 2023, the 16th Asia‑Pacific Shitoryu Karate Championship, the US Open (U‑21) in 2024, and the Australian and Thailand Opens in 2025.
A total of 23 athletes contested the women’s +68kg division in Leshan.
The tournament, staged at the Leshan Olympic Sports Centre, was the third stop of the 2026 season, following Istanbul and Rome. The season will conclude in Rabat, Morocco, from 12 to 14 June.