Nabila Rayaz, a 17-year-old sprinter, won the sole gold medal for Azad Kashmir in the recent Quaid-i-Azam Games.

Ms Rayaz is an amateur athlete from Bhimber, Azad Kashmir. There are no proper sports facilities where she grew up, not even a running track.

These obstacles did not deter Ms Rayaz, who – along with many other women athletes – went on to not only participate in the games, but also brought home the only gold medal for AJK, in the 400 long jump.

Dawn caught up with Ms Rayaz to talk about her win.

Q: How you were received in AJK after your achievement? How did your family and friends react?

A: My family and friends received me warmly; people from the sports board also encouraged and supported me. Now, I’m being told that a ceremony will be organised to honour me. As far as my parents are concerned, they are happy, I’m especially thankful to my father, who allowed me to participate in the Quaid-i-Azam Games.

Q: What attracted you to the sport?

A: Since my childhood I had an interest in games, particularly in races and jumps. But the real force behind my success is my school principal, who supported me and asked me to participate in the Quaid-i-Azam Games because the sports board had contacted school principal. She is also supporting other girls to participate in sports, which is an encouraging.

Q: How are the sports facilities in your hometown?

A: Well, there are no proper sports facilities in my region. There are no running tracks, let alone other sports facilities. But let me tell you one thing, our region is full of talent. If we are provided with sports facilities, we can bring laurels for AJK and Pakistan as well, after participating at international events.

Q. What do you have planned for the future?

A: As far as my future is concerned, I want to become a professional athlete. Nowadays, I’m waiting for my matriculation results. After that, I will [go to] college, where I will have more opportunities to participate in games. I believe girls are equally talented as boys, so at the later stages I will try to become a professional athlete because I have a dream of participating in the Asian and Olympic games.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2016