Nadia Nazeer, from Punjab’s Sahiwal, holds the distinction of winning five bronze medals in international 400 metre sprints. A mother of one, Nadia continues to chase her dream of becoming an internationally acclaimed sprinter.

Nadia belongs to a middle-class family of Mohollah Farid Ganj in Sahiwal, and has eight siblings. Talking about her passion, she recounted the occasion when her sixth grade teacher asked all the girls to go on a sprint.

In the first race of her life, Nadia won. That day gave birth to a passion which continues to draw her out to the track today.

She particularly enjoys hurdling, and has participated in hurdle races across eight countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Iran. She won her five bronze medals in 400 metre sprints in these countries.

In the year 2007, Nadia Nazeer made a national record by jumping 10 obstacles in 1:10 minutes in a national competition in Karachi. She broke her own record a year later in 2008.

A multiple award-winning athlete from Sahiwal, Nadia says much needs to be done to support women athletes in Pakistan.

In 2011, the athlete got married in Bahawalnagar, but, thankfully, her dream did not die there.

“Seeing my love for athletics,” she says, “my husband has allowed me to continue. Now, I race and also play football.”

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After her marriage, she participated in a national competition in 2013, where she stood first in the 100 metre sprint, and was awarded best player in football. She has also been playing for Wapda since 2002.

“My parents supported me a lot. No matter how far a training camp was set up, my father would take me there.”

Talking about the problems that women athletes face, Nadia said that for Pakistani girls, practicing is a task next to impossible.

“People stare at us like we are committing a huge crime. Even the women of my community tell me that I am wasting my time in useless things.”

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She credits her father and her husband wholly for the way they have supported her, and says that it would have been impossible to keep her passion alive for so long in this patriarchal society. It is not easy for Pakistani women to step into the sports arena, she says. Attempts are being made to include more women, but a lot is left to be done still. She adds,

Those girls who do manage to tackle societal problems, have to confront the absence of quality coaching and training at the next step. There is no system for it in educational institutes, and there are no grounds where women can be trained.

Nadia, whose favourite Pakistani women athletes are Seemi Rizvan, Sairah Fazal, and Bushra Perveen, emphasised on the need for large-scale measures to pave the way for aspiring sportswomen.

In a message to girls aspiring to be athletes, Nadia says, “Nothing can be achieved without passion. And, hard work and dedication will give you the strength to keep trying until you succeed.”

This article originally appeared on Punajb Lok Sujag, Sahiwal.

—Translated by Bilal Karim Mughal.