LAHORE: Pakistan’s squad returned here on Monday from Sri Lanka after putting up a brilliant show, winning 15 medals in the Asian Beach Jiu-Jitsu Championship held at Negombo beach.

The squad comprising five male and four female athletes secured one gold, five silver and nine bronze medals, said a spokesman of the Pakistan Jiu-Jitsu Federation (PJJF).

More than 20 countries featured in the July 28-Aug 1 event in which Australia was also permitted by the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union to participate as they were going to join fifth AIMAG championship to be held next year in Turkmenistan.

During the first two days of the event, the Pakistani contestants clinched nine medals — three silver and six bronze.

On the opening day, in the men’s event Pakistan’s Awais Ashiq won the first bronze for Pakistan in the championship in -56kg weight category, defeating Al-Mashahedi of Iraq by gaining 100 points.

Awais’ second fight, against a host competitor, also finished before the standard time as the Pakistani recorded 100 points again and reached the semis where he was defeated by Japan’s Nishibayashi.

Rafiq Siddique also competed in the same weight category and defeated India’s Guruprasad in his first bout but couldn’t win the next one against an opponent from Japan.

Thesecond bronze medal winner, Jahanzeb Rashad Lone, overcame Korea’s Seungjoo Lee in his first fight and UAE’s Al Hameli in the second. However, Jahanzeb’s march towards victory ended in the semis where the Pakistani was overcome by Iraq’s Al Bazy.

Pakistan’s Farhan Anjum stood fourth in the medal standings and couldn’t reach the podium, allegedly due to some biased decisions of the referee.

Meanwhile, female contestants from Pakistan did reasonably well in the championship.

Humaira Ashiq won silver in -49kg; Beenish Khan claimed two silver medals, in +77kg and open weight category; Maryam and Ambreen Masih grabbed a bronze each in -55kg.

In the ‘duo system’, Pakistan managed to clinch two more bronze medals, in mix and women’s category.

In the ‘no gi’ category contest held on the last day of the championship, Jahanzeb Rashad Lone won gold in -62kg, Humaira Ashiq clinched silver in -45kg, Maryam secured silver in -55kg, Beenish won bronze in +77kg while Awais Ashiq and Rafiq Siddique earned a bronze each in -56kg.

Meanwhile, the PJJF spokesman lamented that due to financial constraints the federation could not send a full-strength team to the championship whereas all the other competing countries brought two players in each weight category.

Lauding the team’s overall performance, the spokesman attributed it to the players’ hard work and that of coaches Ameer Mukhtar, Shabeena Saeed and Waqar Ilyas Khan.

Pakistan would also participate in the fifth Asian Beach Games to be held in Da Nang,Vietnam next month, he added.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2016