KATHMANDU: Cheering crowds hailed an 18-year-old Nepali mountaineer as a hero as he returned home on Monday (Oct 14) after breaking the record for the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000m peaks.
Nima Rinji Sherpa reached the summit of Tibet's 8,027m Shisha Pangma on Oct 9, completing his mission to stand on the world's highest peaks.
On Monday, he returned from China to Nepal's capital Kathmandu, where scores waited to see him.
"I am feeling very happy," he told AFP, draped in traditional Buddhist scarves and garlands of marigold flowers, as he emerged to loud cheers at the airport.
"Thank you so much everyone", he said to his supporters, beaming a wide grin.
Sherpa hugged his family while others rushed to offer him scarves and flowers. He later waved to the crowd out of a car sunroofskygaming777, while proudly holding the national flag.
Nepali mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa waves upon his arrival at the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Oct 14, 2024. (Photo: AFP/Prakash Mathema)