Nepali sherpa scales Everest record 24 times — with one more to go

Nepali sherpa Kami Rita Sherpa poses at the top of Mount Everest after summiting it for the 23rd time on May 15, before ascending the world’s highest peak anew on May 21. (Seven Summit Treks/AFP)
Updated 21 May 2019
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Nepali sherpa scales Everest record 24 times — with one more to go

  • Kami Rita Sherpa reached the 8,850-meter summit by the traditional southeast ridge route
  • The route was pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953

KATMANDU: A Nepali sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest a record 24th time on Tuesday, an official said, his second ascent in just a week, and he has set his sights on one more climb before he retires.
Kami Rita Sherpa, 49, reached the 8,850-meter summit by the traditional southeast ridge route, tourism department official Mira Acharya said.
The route was pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953 and remains the most popular snow trail leading to the highest point on Earth.
Two other climbers, both sherpas, have scaled Everest 21 times each. They have both retired from mountaineering.
Kami, who goes by his first name, says he wants to climb the mountain one more time.
“I am still strong and want to climb Sagarmatha 25 times,” Kami told Reuters before leaving for his 23rd climb, referring to the Nepali name for Everest.


Turkish footballer hailed as hero after saving stunned seagull

Updated 26 February 2026
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Turkish footballer hailed as hero after saving stunned seagull

  • Gani Catan, captain of amateur club Yurdum Spor, raced across the pitch Sunday after a ball knocked the low-flying bird to the ground
  • “I acted on instinct, or maybe I once saw someone do this on a dog or a cat,” he said

ISTANBUL: A Turkish amateur footballer has gone viral for saving a seagull’s life with CPR after it was struck down during an Istanbul match.
Gani Catan, a 32-year-old accountant and captain of amateur club Yurdum Spor, raced across the pitch Sunday after a ball knocked the low-flying bird to the ground.
“I acted on instinct, or maybe I once saw someone do this on a dog or a cat,” he told AFP a few days later as he watched the club’s youth teams train.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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As it hit the pitch, Catan leapt into action and started performing rudimentary CPR, pumping the bird’s ribcage.
“When I started the chest compressions, it began moving its legs. The more it moved, the more I kept going,” he said.
When it started breathing, he carried it off the pitch to medical staff, who took care of it.
By that evening, videos had gone viral on social media and Catan said his phone began ringing nonstop.
“We’d lost the match, so I wasn’t in a good mood. Then overnight the messages started coming in. We were shocked by how fast it spread,” he said.
“It’s been in the press in Brazil, Italy, America...”
Since the Istanbul match, Catan has received animal rights organization PETA’s “Hero to Animals award.”
Originally from the northern Turkish city of Tokat where he lives with his two cats, Catan had dreamed of playing football since childhood.
The story ended sadly, however, as the bird later died, according to a commentator who witnessed the incident.
Yurdum Spor is considering adding a seagull to its logo in tribute.