KARACHI: Pakistan is set to make waves in the Olympic pool after two of its swimmers received confirmation to participate in the Olympic Games, according to a statement released by the Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) on Friday.
The international body for aquatic sports, FINA, has selected Anum Bandey and Israr Hussain of Pakistan on the basis of their performance in the 14th FINA World Championships, held in Shanghai last year. The allotment has been made on the ‘Universality Places,’ berths reserved for countries whose athletes are unable to qualify for the Games.
Husain, who clocked 57.69 seconds in Shanghai, will participate in the 100-metre freestyle heats. Bandey, who set a new national record at 5 minutes and 37.11 seconds, will feature in the 400-metre individual medley at the London Games.
Bandey will look to improve on the performance of her predecessor Kiran Khan, who represented Pakistan at the Games in Beijing in 2008. She will be the third Pakistani female swimmer to make waves at the Games after Khan and Rubab Raza, who made Olympic history for Pakistan by becoming the country’s first female Olympic swimmer at Athens in 2004.
Hussain was named the best male athlete at last year’s National Swimming Championship in Islamabad.
