Hari Budha Magar has become the first double above-the-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest. PA
Hari Budha Magar has become the first double above-the-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest. PA
Hari Budha Magar has become the first double above-the-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest. PA
Hari Budha Magar has become the first double above-the-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest. PA

'No legs, no limits': Gurkha double amputee reaches top of Everest


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Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar, who lost both his legs after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, has become the first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Mount Everest.

Mr Magar was almost killed by the blast, while serving with the British Army in 2010.

“He reached the top of Sagarmatha at around 3pm [Nepali time] on Friday. After successfully summiting the peak, he has now descended to the base camp, and will return to Kathmandu tomorrow (Monday),” Him Bista, a member of his team, told AFP on Sunday.

Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Everest.

Mr Magar, 43, lost his legs after stepping on the device during a patrol in Afghanistan with the Gurkhas, a unit of Nepalis who have fought with the British Army for more than 200 years.

Two below-the-knee amputees – New Zealander Mark Inglis in 2006 and China's Xia Boyu in 2018 – had previously reached the peak.

Mr Magar was fitted with prosthetic legs and has since climbed several peaks including Morocco's Mount Toubkal, Scotland's Ben Nevis and Mont Blanc in the Alps.

The former corporal was prevented for several years from climbing the world's highest mountain by a Nepalese law banning double amputees – and also blind people – from mountaineering.

Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar in April. AFP
Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar in April. AFP

In 2018, Nepal's top court rescinded the law under pressure from Mr Magar and others.

“As long as you can adapt your life according to the time and the situation, we can do anything we want. There is no limit, the sky is the limit,” Magar told AFP last month before heading to the Everest base camp.

On his website, his mission was promoted under the slogan “no legs, no limits”.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are mild and often treacherous Himalayan winds are typically calm.

Bigyan Koirala, a tourism department official, said that nearly 450 climbers have already scaled Everest this season.

Authorities have issued 478 permits to foreign climbers this year, with each paying an $11,000 fee.

Since most will need a guide, more than 900 people – a record – are expected to try to summit during the season, which runs until early June.

Nine climbers have already lost their lives this climbing season.

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FINAL LEADERBOARD

1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
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T6. Alexander Noren (SWE)  68 72 69 67 - 4-under

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MATCH INFO

Borussia Dortmund 0

Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')

Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Scoreline:

Cardiff City 0

Liverpool 2

Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Results

2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m

Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).

2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m

Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m

Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.

3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m

Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.

4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.

Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.

54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m

Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.

Updated: May 22, 2023, 4:36 AM`