Army continue to excel in the 35th National Games as they reach 100-gold mark

By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Army reached 100-gold milestone at the 35th National Games on Wednesday extending their commanding lead as athletes across Karachi battled for medals in athletics, swimming, rowing, weightlifting and team sports.
The day opened with a 42.195 km marathon starting from the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam and finishing at the National Coaching Centre. Navy’s Shahbaz Masih won the event, completing the distance in two hours and 25 minutes. WAPDA’s Sher Khan finished second while Navy’s Shoaib Akhtar placed third.
In women’s long jump, WAPDA’s Faiqa Riaz produced a 5.52-metre leap to secure gold and complete a hat-trick of victories after winning the 100m and 200m titles earlier in the competition.
Other athletics results saw WAPDA dominate the women’s field: Uzma Aazan won the hammer throw, Iram Shahzadi claimed the 1500m and Ghazala Ramzan took the 100m hurdles. Army collected multiple men’s titles, with Usman Ali winning the 200m, Muhammad Akhtar taking the 10,000m, and Ismail securing gold in the 400m.
Army’s swimmer Ahmed Durrani added three more gold medals, winning the 800m freestyle, 200m freestyle and the 200m relay to complete his second hat-trick of the Games. In men’s swimming, WAPDA’s Hamza Asif set a new national record in the 50m breaststroke. In women’s events, Jahan Ara Nabi continued her winning streak, while Hareem delivered another gold for Sindh.
Army also excelled in rowing, winning five gold and one silver. Navy followed with two golds and five silvers.
Women’s weightlifting concluded at the Scouts headquarters, with Army’s Khadija Waheed winning gold in the 69kg category. WAPDA’s Saima Shehzad took silver and Sindh’s Nazia Aslam earned bronze. In the 86+kg division, WAPDA’s Nazia Aslam captured gold, while Army’s Sonia Azmat secured gold in the 77kg class. WAPDA’s Nadia Maqsood won the 86kg category, ahead of Railways’ Madiha Zubair.
Navy picked up four additional golds in shooting, while Army added two more. Army also continued to dominate both men’s and women’s karate events.
In team sports, Army defeated WAPDA to clinch gold in women’s football, completing the single-league event without losing a match. Army also beat WAPDA in the women’s softball final to secure another title.
Squash competitions entered the final stage, with KP’s Mahnoor Ali and Army’s Zainab reaching the women’s singles final. WAPDA’s Noor Zaman and Army’s Huzaifa Ibrahim qualified for the men’s singles final.
By the end of Wednesday’s events, Army had amassed 113 gold, 50 silver and 34 bronze medals, firmly holding first place on the medals table. WAPDA stood second with 46 gold, 43 silver and 34 bronze medals, followed by Navy with 24 gold, 21 silver and 20 bronze.
Punjab secured seven gold medals, while HEC, Sindh and the Air Force claimed six each. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa collected four, Balochistan two, and Islamabad one gold.