Army dominate 35th National Games; WAPDA trail second

By Alam Zeb Safi
KARACHI: Army continue to dominate the 35th National Games, maintaining a firm grip on the medal table as they inch closer to the 50-gold milestone.
The soldiers have so far pocketed 46 gold, 15 silver and 11 bronze medals. WAPDA sit comfortably in second place with 14 gold, eight silver and 11 bronze, followed by Navy with seven golds. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) have claimed four gold medals in the biennial multi-sport spectacle being staged across various venues in Karachi.
In fencing, Hunza’s Uzma Sultan delivered another gold for HEC after edging Balochistan’s Brira 15–14 in a thrilling final. HEC’s Abdul Masoor also remained in the spotlight, securing his second gold medal of the Games. Having already clinched the individual épée title, he went on to add the individual foil crown to his tally.
Army maintained their stronghold in shooting as well, lifting their gold count in the discipline to 10. Navy trail with six golds, while PAF have managed two silver and three bronze medals in shooting events. In the women’s 10-metre air rifle, Army’s Mehr Khaliq sealed gold, Navy’s Anbar Dilawar took silver and Sara Saleem, also from Navy, finished with bronze. The team event saw Army take gold, Navy silver and HEC bronze.
In the 50-metre pistol men’s event, Navy’s Shah Rukh Khan produced a solid score of 547 to claim gold. Army won the team gold in this event as well, with Navy taking silver and PAF bronze.
Army’s men’s rugby side claimed top honours after defeating WAPDA in the final, while in the women’s rugby competition WAPDA overcame Punjab to clinch the gold medal.
Army continued their extraordinary dominance in taekwondo, sweeping all 22 gold medals across the board. Their athletes also impressed in karate, where they secured five golds.
In gymnastics, the WAPDA men’s team emerged as champions. In volleyball, both Army and WAPDA recorded important victories, with Navy’s men’s side also achieving a win. Football saw Army, Navy and PAF progress to the semifinals, while in handball Army and WAPDA prevailed in their respective fixtures.
Squash moved closer to its climax as the finalists were confirmed. Army and WAPDA advanced to the men’s team final, while Army and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) set up the women’s team final. In the women’s semifinals, Army outplayed Balochistan and KP defeated Punjab. The men’s semifinals saw Army overcome PAF and WAPDA get the better of Punjab.
Athletics will witness the awarding of 12 more gold medals on Tuesday as the competitions gather momentum.
Meanwhile, Olympic star Arshad Nadeem of WAPDA lived up to expectations by winning the javelin throw gold with a commanding effort of 81.81 metres. His teammate Yasir Sultan claimed silver with a throw of 70.77 metres, while Abrar Ali of Army secured bronze after recording 67.68 metres.
WAPDA’s Samiullah Khan and Faiqa Riaz have become Pakistan’s fastest male and female athletes. On Monday, the most important event of the National Games athletics and its premier race, the 100-metre sprint, took place.
In the men’s 100-metre race, a tough contest was witnessed among the sprinters. WAPDA’s Samiullah Khan completed the distance in 10.30 seconds and earned the title of Pakistan’s fastest man. Army’s Usman and Rashid Riaz won the silver and bronze medals respectively.
In the women’s 100-metre race, WAPDA’s Olympian Faiqa Riaz emerged victorious, completing the distance in 11.7 seconds to become Pakistan’s fastest woman. HEC’s Khawla Umar won silver while Army’s Tameen Khan secured bronze.
In the women’s pole vault, American-based athlete Noreen Hussain, representing Army, won the gold medal. She cleared a height of 2.90 metres to take the top spot.
In other athletics events held on Monday, WAPDA’s Maria won the women’s 10,000 metres, Army’s Talha Saleem won the steeplechase, Navy’s Ansar Abbas won the long jump, WAPDA’s Noreen Fatima won the women’s high jump, Army’s Jamshed Ali won the men’s shot put and Muhammad Akhtar won the men’s 5,000-metre race. Twelve more gold medals will be decided in the athletics events on Tuesday.