Karachi (Sports Reporter): Pakistan WAPDA clinched the Lakh Sahaita 54th National Athletics Championship with an overall tally of 27 gold medals, while Pakistan Navy finished second with nine golds and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) secured third place with eight gold medals.
WAPDA dominated both the men’s and women’s competitions at the championship, held at the NED University tartan track under the supervision of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan and organised by the Sindh Athletics Association, with the support of Lakh Sahaita.
Pakistan Navy finished second in the men’s category, followed by HEC, while HEC secured second place in the women’s standings, with Sindh finishing third and Pakistan Navy fourth.
In the men’s events, WAPDA collected 17 gold, five silver and five bronze medals. Pakistan Navy took second place with five gold, six silver and four bronze medals, while HEC finished third with two gold, four silver and seven bronze medals.
In the women’s category, WAPDA won 10 gold, 11 silver and six bronze medals. HEC finished second with six gold, seven silver and nine bronze medals and 260 points. Sindh secured third place with one gold, two silver and three bronze medals and 86 points, while Pakistan Navy finished fourth with four gold medals and 73 points.
The final day produced a major highlight when WAPDA’s Maria Bibi established a new national record in the women’s 5,000 metres. She clocked 19 minutes and 2.00 seconds to win gold, breaking the previous record of 19:04.05 set by Olympian Rabia Ashiq in 2012.
WAPDA’s Nazia Ehsan claimed silver in 19:49.50, while HEC’s Goonish Batool took bronze in 20:10.80.
WAPDA sprinter Shajar Abbas added another gold medal to his tally by winning the men’s 200 metres in 20.75 seconds. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Attaullah finished second in 20.90 seconds, while HEC’s Haseeb Ahmed took bronze in 21.40 seconds.
In the women’s 200 metres, HEC’s Khola Umar Khan won gold in 24.80 seconds. Sindh’s Iqra Riaz secured silver in 25.05 seconds, while WAPDA’s Malaika Shehzadi took bronze in 26.00 seconds.
WAPDA’s Shahsawar won the men’s 800 metres in 1:52.01, ahead of Punjab’s Maqsood, who clocked 1:53.53. HEC’s Osama Hassan finished third in 1:54.47.
In the women’s hammer throw, WAPDA’s Uzma Azam secured gold with a throw of 41.82 metres. HEC’s Maliha Saleem took silver with 35.59 metres, while teammate Khadija Mehreen won bronze with 35.36 metres.
Pakistan Navy claimed gold in the men’s 4x100-metre relay, with Saifullah Amin, Muhammad Hamza, Abdullah and Ansar Abbas completing the race in 42.00 seconds. HEC finished second in 42.05 seconds, while Punjab took bronze in 43.28 seconds.
WAPDA won the women’s 4x100-metre relay in 48.63 seconds through Aneeka, Malhan, Malaika and Faiqa. HEC claimed silver in 50.19 seconds, while Sindh secured bronze in 52.25 seconds.
In the men’s triple jump, WAPDA’s Usman Zafar took gold with a leap of 15.39 metres. Pakistan Navy’s Ansar Abbas finished second with 15.29 metres, while Punjab’s Muhammad Irfan claimed bronze with 13.98 metres.
WAPDA also dominated the men’s hammer throw, where Dawood won gold with 52.45 metres. Teammate Azhar Abbas took silver with 51.01 metres, while HEC’s Daniyal Haider secured bronze with 45.53 metres.
In the women’s pole vault, WAPDA’s Amina cleared 2.85 metres to win gold. Teammate Sajida Bibi took silver with 2.70 metres, while HEC’s Madiha claimed bronze with 2.60 metres.
Pakistan Navy’s Usman Ghani won the men’s high jump with a clearance of 1.96 metres. WAPDA’s Ali Ashraf finished second at 1.93 metres, while teammate Ahmed took bronze at the same height.
WAPDA’s Sohail Amir won the men’s 5,000 metres in 15:16.20. Punjab’s Muhammad Zain took silver in 15:34.01, while Pakistan Navy’s Ali Hassan secured bronze in 15:45.30.
The championship concluded with the men’s 4x400-metre relay. WAPDA’s Fawad Khan, Ikram, Shah Sarwar and Zawar Shah won gold in 3:15.90. Pakistan Navy’s Muhammad Hamza, Muhammad Waqas, Asfahan Yousuf and Saifullah Amin finished in 3:20.50, while Punjab recorded the same time through Usman Raza, Zargham, Sharjeel and Amir Amin. Both teams were awarded silver medals after recording identical times, and no bronze medal was awarded.
Pakistan Navy’s Amtil Rehman was among the standout performers, winning four gold medals, while WAPDA’s Shajar Abbas also enjoyed an impressive championship, collecting three gold medals.
