QUETTA: Continuing with their impressive show in the pool, Army clinched 10 more swimming gold medals that included a record-setting show in men’s 4x100m relay, at the National Games on Sunday.
The Army team won the 4x100m relay clocking three minutes, 41.12 seconds in a new national record at the Punjab International Swimming Complex in Lahore.
In other men’s swimming events claimed by Army, Mohammad Amaan Siddiqui (4:26.12) won the 400m freestyle title, Syed Mohammad Haseeb Tariq (28.36) earned gold in 50m backstroke while just upstaging Punjab’s Rayan Sadiq Lone (29.91), Azhar Abbas (2:15.11) secured 200m crown while Mohammad Ahmed Durrani (2:16.67) took the 200m individual medley title.
Wapda’s Daniyal Ghulam Nabi (1:12.27) sealed the men’s 100m breaststroke title. He was very closely followed by silver medallist Nouman Hussain (1:12.40) of Army.
Army women in the pool were equally strong, grabbing five out of six golds on offer including a brace by Bisma Khan.
In a magnificent individual performance, Bisma (5:09.17) secured the 400m freestyle title and was also crowned 200m individual medley champion (2:44.71).
The Lahore-born swimmer now has five individual and three relays golds to her credit at the ongoing Games.
Fatima Lotia (35.02 seconds) won the 50m backstroke title ahead of her Army colleague Kiran Khan (36.53) and Ameena Ameer Qadri (3:14.29) triumphed in 200m butterfly. The women’s 4x100m relay was also won by Army (4:44.62).
Sindh women’s lone swimming gold on Sunday was collected by Hareem Malik who lifted the 100m breaststroke honours clocking one minute, 23.21 seconds.
Army on the National Games overall medals table maintain their supremacy with 177 golds. They are followed by second-placed Wapda (90) and Navy (28), third.
WAPDA WOMEN SHINE
Wapda women enjoyed a splendid day in athletics events being held at the Ayub Stadium in Quetta, picking up all three golds of the day.
Esha Imran seized the 400m title clocking 52.20 seconds. In 10,000m race, Farhat Bano (46.02:9) surpassed her Wapda mate Maira Bibi (46.25:04) who claimed silver.
Sahib-e-Asra, Arooj, Melhan and Shafaq gave Wapda (48.2 seconds) the 4x100m relay crown.
Meanwhile, men’s athletics competitions in which Army and Wapda sealed three golds each, saw some close finishes.
Army’s Mohammad Naeem Akhtar (20.7 seconds) earned the 200m crown, and was followed closely by sliver winner Abdul Mueed (20.9) of PAF.
The Army team of Uzair, Naeem, Razzaq and Jamshaid snatched gold in the 100x4m relay in 40.40 seconds. They were narrowly missed by a Wapda quartet (41.10) of Gohar, Asad, Ahmed and Tanveer.
Israr Mehmood gave Army their third gold in 42km marathon race, bagging the title in two hours, 41 minutes and 32 seconds.
Sohail Amir of Wapda recorded twin individual wins, scooping the 10,000m title in 33 minutes and 6.7 seconds, and 1,500m (4.03:3).
Wapda’s Shehroz Khan (2.10m) took the high jump prize.
The discus throw title went to PAF’s Shams-ul-Haq who threw the disc to a distance of 50.29 metres.
In wrestling, Army got hold of two gold medals in 61kg and 74kg categories through Inam Khalid and Mohammad Asadullah, respectively.
The 86kg gold went to Nouman of Railways while the 97kg honours were claimed by Wapda’s Umair Ahmed.
Army and Wapda, the two major sports powerhouses of the country, excelled at the archery competition.
While Army lifted the men’s, women’s and mix team titles, Wapda sealed golds in men’s and women’s team events.
In weightlifting, Zohaib
Qadir (73kg) and Azan Ali Butt (81kg) won titles to add to Army’s gold tally while Wapda’s Abu Sufyan achieved glory in 89kg category.
Army won gold in the men’s golf team event of the National Games.
The Army team comprising Noman Ilyas, Shahzaib Jahan, Mohammad Arsalan and
Mohammad Shoaib combined to register a four-day aggregate of 867 to take the honours.
The Wapda side, consisting of Salman Jehangir, Hussain Hamid, Noman Asghar and Danish Javed ended just nine strokes behind Army to claim silver.
Salman Jehangir with a final round score of 69 that gave him an aggregate of 285 took the individual gold medal
Mohammad Arsalan (289) earned silver.
In the ladies section, Army team comprising Parkha Ijaz ,Rimsha Ijaz and Ania Farooq Syed took gold with an aggregate of 450 ahead of silver winners PAF (443) with Hamna Amjad, Suneya Osama and Dania Aziz in their side.
In the ladies’ individual contest, Parkha won gold while her sister Rimsha finished second.
HUZAIFA STUNS SHOAIB
Meanwhile, unseeded Huzaifa Abdul Rehman of Army caused a major upset when he eliminated second seed Mohammad Shoaib of PAF in the men’s singles semi-final of the tennis event at the PTF Complex in Islamabad.
Huzaifa produced an excellent performance to win 6-2, 6-0.
In the final, he faces veteran and Pakistan No.1 Aqeel Khan of Wapda, who was declared winner in the other last-four match against PAF’s Yousuf Khalil who retired due to elbow pain after Aqeel won the first set 6-2.
In the men’s doubles finals, Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Abdullah Adnan made history when they claimed the first-ever gold for Army in tennis after outplaying the PAF duo of Mohammad Shoaib and Yousuf Khalil 6-4, 6-0.
On the women’s side, top seed Sarah Mehboob of Wapda
blanked Punjab’s Labika Iqbal 6-0, 6-0 while Ushna Suhail of Wapda toppled Army’s Amna Ali Qayum 6-4, 6-0 in the singles semi-finals.
Wapda’s Sarah Mehboob and Ushna outclassed Meheq Khokhar and Esha Jawad, also of Wapda, 6-1, 6-0 to win the women’s doubles gold.
Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2023