LAHORE: Pakistan’s first woman boxer to win a Commonwealth Games medal believes she could have won gold had she enjoyed the same standard of training facilities and resources as her international rivals.

“I am happy to become the first Pakistani woman boxer to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. The competition was extremely tough. Almost all my rivals had been training in the United States,” Fatima Zehra told Dawn from Glasgow, where she settled for a bronze medal after losing her semi-final bout to Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh.

The 22-year-old boxer from Sargodha said her primary target before leaving for Glasgow was to secure a medal, though she had also hoped to reach the final.

“Before arriving in Glasgow, my target was to win a medal and I was also hoping to win the semi-final. But my opponent was too fast and had vast international experience, making her a very difficult rival,” said Fatima, who represents Pakistan Army at the domestic athletics circuit.

“Although I could not meet my expectations of reaching the final, I am still happy with the bronze medal because it was not easy to achieve it against such strong competition,” she added.

“The competitions were too tough as every boxer was well prepared and I learnt a lot from it as I also watched many other bouts,” she said.

Fatima added that many countries, including India, held their training camps in the United States, unlike Pakistan, which conducted all its preparations at home.

“The credit for this medal goes to my department, the Pakistan Army, the Pakistan Boxing Federation and my coach Raheel Adnan, who supported and guided me throughout my preparations for the Games,” she said.

Asked what support she expected from the government to help her improve further, Fatima stressed the need for better facilities and greater international exposure.

“World-class training and coaching facilities at home, along with maximum international exposure through overseas competitions, can change the fortunes of Pakistani athletes, including me,” she said.

“There is a huge difference between the sporting environment available in Pakistan and that in other countries. Unless our athletes receive top-quality training and regularly compete internationally, it will be difficult for us to develop the standard required to succeed at the highest level.

“It is the government’s responsibility to provide maximum support in this regard.”

Fatima, who competed in the women’s 60kg category, said her next target was the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan in September.

“I also won a bronze medal at the 2025 Islamic Games in Saudi Arabia, and now my focus is on performing well at the Asian Games,” she said.

“The challenge of the Asian Games is also a big one but the experience I obtained from Glasgow will help me a lot to show better results in Japan,” she said.

Fatima revealed that boxing runs in her family, with her two sisters, Dua and Aiman, as well as her younger brother Naday Ali, also involved in the sport.

Recalling how she took up boxing, Fatima credited her coach Raheel for discovering her talent.

“All the credit goes to my coach Raheel, who spotted my potential as a boxer,” she said.

“Initially, my family did not support my decision, which is quite common in Pakistan. After competing at the Punjab level, I had to quit boxing because my family was unhappy with my sporting career. However, my coach Raheel convinced them to let me return to the ring.”

“Alhamdulillah, my family is now fully supportive and has also allowed my two sisters to pursue boxing.”

Fatima secured the historic bronze medal after defeating New Zealand’s Jordan Wilson 5-0 in the quarter-finals. Under the competition rules, both losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026