Yasir takes javelin gold as Arshad withdraws from national championship
KARACHI: Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem withdrew from the 54th National Athletics Championship on Friday after feeling unwell, leaving Mohammad Yasir to claim gold in his absence.
Arshad, who was entered in the men’s javelin throw at the Navy Sports Complex Karsaz, pulled out before the event. No further details were immediately available on his condition.
Yasir took gold for Wapda with a throw of 74.63 metres, ahead of Navy’s Abdul Qadeer Khan (67.25m) and HEC’s Mohammad Bilal (66.69m).
In the women’s javelin, Fatima Hussain added another gold for Wapda with 41.76m, with Punjab’s Saniya Ijaz (41.59m) taking silver and HEC’s Khadija Mehreen (40.43m) bronze.
Wapda tightened their grip on the medal table on the second day, adding seven golds to sit top with 12 gold, six silver and five bronze medals. HEC were second with two golds, six silvers and six bronzes, while Navy were third with one gold and two silvers. Sindh (one gold, two bronzes) and Punjab (one silver, two bronzes) completed the top five.
In the men’s 400m, Salman Ahmed took gold in 48.40 seconds, with team-mate Zaviar Shah second in 48.60s and PAF’s Abdul Majeed third in 48.82s.
The women’s 400m went to HEC’s Khoula Qamar Khan in 58.76 seconds, ahead of Wapda’s Rida (59.47s) and HEC’s Kinza Sarfaraz (59.59s).
Navy’s Amtal Rehman won the women’s high jump with 1.55m, with Noreen Fatima of Wapda taking silver (1.45m) and Sindh’s Anaya Ahsan bronze (1.40m).
In the field events, Hassan won the men’s pole vault for Wapda with 4.10m, Punjab’s Abdul Rehman took silver (3.40m) and Navy’s Ikram Zahoor bronze (3.30m).
Zohaib Khan won the men’s shot put with 16.12m, ahead of HEC’s Sahibzada Kashif (15.87m).
Faraz Khan Tanoli won the men’s long jump with 7.24m, with Navy’s Ansar Abbas second (7.10m) and Punjab’s Mohammad Imran third (6.79m).
Sohail Amir completed a distance double, adding the men’s 10,000m title in 34:33 ahead of Punjab’s Mohammad Zain (34:55) and HEC’s Shahid Yaseen (35:13), having earlier won the 1,500m.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2026
