At the 35th National Games, the story of sport has so often been of sheer will against long odds.
But on Wednesday, the narrative splintered into two distinct, dazzling truths: one written in the chronometric perfection of chlorinated water, the other etched in the sun-baked sand of the long jump pit.
In the pool, a digital clock froze at a number never before seen in Pakistan: 29.99 seconds.
On the track, a measuring tape confirmed a distance of 5.52 metres, sealing a historic triple crown.
The fourth day of the competitions belonged to 19-year-old swimmer Hamza Asif, who shattered a time barrier and a 26-year-old Olympian who shattered expectations, proving that national sporting history can be made in parallel universes.
The sun played the role of spotlight over the swimming arena, its zenith aligning with the men’s 50m breaststroke final.
The audience was on its feet, phone cameras held horizontally. In lane six was Rayan Awan, the national record holder in the event.
The buzzer sounded. Seven swimmers flew off the blocks, emerging from shadow into liquid light. It was not Rayan, but Wapda’s Hamza who touched first.
After a wait of several seconds, a cluster of red numbers appeared. A voice screamed from the stands: “National record! National record!” Hamza had done the unthinkable — he became the first Pakistani to swim the event in under 30 seconds.
Rayan, in a gracious twist of fate, also improved his personal time (30.55) for silver. But this was Hamza’s moment.
Race-mates reached over lane lines to high-five the teenager, who trains at the University of Tennessee. His father was hugged tight by proud men; his mother bent down in prostration.
“My coach has worked hard on me, we’ve been training for this very event and I was expecting the record,” a remarkably composed Hamza, who would later top off his day with another gold in the 50m freestyle, told Dawn.
As the aquatic celebrations subsided, the searing Karachi sun refocused its attention on the track and field stadium.
Here, Faiqa Riaz, the Wapda sprinter and Pakistan’s representative at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was chasing a different kind of immortality.
She had already secured the 100m and 200m golds. Now, she stood at the long jump runway for her final attempt.
A brief, taut silence followed her leap. She locked eyes with the technical official.
The winning distance was announced. A yell of pure, unfiltered joy erupted.
Faiqa put her hands on her head, knowing the gold — and a historic third individual title — was hers. When the last competitor failed to match it, she collapsed into the arms of her coaches.
“I thought I had to settle for a silver today,” Faiqa confessed to Dawn. “But on my last attempt, I was like it’s do or die and I ran with my full strength for the jump.”
Her main target had always been the 100m, the event she trained for most intensely. The 200m and long jump were audacious, successful experiments.
Her triumph, however, is framed by the stark realities of Pakistani sport. Managing two distinct disciplines is a complex science.
“For jumps, training for explosive [power] I do with sprint. But run-up is the main issue… in sprint you need speed while in long jump you need more control with speed,” she explained, noting she doesn’t train specifically for jumps to protect her sprinting prowess.
THE SUPPORTING CAST
The day’s drama was not confined to these twin peaks. The penultimate day of the athletic meet began in the pre-dawn dark at Mazar-e-Quaid, with the marathoners setting off on their 42.195km odyssey, where Navy’s Shahbaz Masih claimed marathon gold in 2:25:23.6 — almost four minutes ahead of his nearest rival Wapda’s Sher Khan.
Elsewhere on the track and field of the NPT&SC, Army’s Mohammad Akhtar executed a perfectly timed final burst in the men’s 10,000m, roaring past Wapda’s Mohammad Irfan in the last 150 metres to claim gold.
The women’s 100m hurdles saw a thrilling mid-race shift, as Wapda’s Ghazala Ramzan edged ahead of her department-mate Amina Saeed to secure the top spot.
The men’s 4x100m relay provided a thrilling finale, with Wapda clinging to a razor-thin lead against a charging Army team in a photo finish.
The event, however, was marred by controversy as the Sindh team failed to field a squad, citing a lack of communication from their absent manager and grievances over unpaid daily allowances.
In the field, Uzma Azan (Wapda) added to her department’s gold haul in the hammer throw, while Army’s Waqas Akbar cruised to victory in a tactical men’s 1500m.
Over in the pool, 13-year-old Riah Mirza won her first national medal —gold— in the women’s 100m backstroke in 1:16.50, a personal record for the teenager.
Watching, with pride in her eyes, was her mother Shaan Kandawalla, who swam at the first national women’s championships 30 years ago.
“My mom’s my inspiration,” Riah said. “And she’s mine,” Shaan replied, kissing her forehead. “I hope she now gets a chance to swim internationally, which I never got a chance to do.”
The waves of victory kept coming. Jehanara Nabi and Ahmed Durrani (800m and 200m freestyle) added multiple individual golds for Army.
Mishael Hayat Ayub won Wapda’s first aquatics gold medal in the women’s 100m butterfly in 1:11.12.
Ayesha Zeeshan followed it up with a gold in 50m freestyle (28.69), while earlier in the day Hareem Malik won Sindh’s second gold in the 50m breaststroke, coming moderately close to breaking her own national record in the event.
Ali Mitha won Sindh’s first gold on the men’s side in 1:01.64 in 100m backstroke.
Army’s other individual gold was won by Syed Daniyal Hatim in the 100m butterfly, where he’s the record holder, with 57.72.
FOOTBALL FRACAS
Aside from the sporting glories, the men’s football event descended into a farce after a violent brawl during a heated semi-final clash between Army and Wapda at the KPT Sports Complex.
A heated exchange, after Army won 4-3, flared into a full-scale brawl, culminating in players allegedly forcing their way into the officials’ room and assaulting the referee. A detailed report is being prepared, with disciplinary action expected against both sides.
In judo, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) emerged as the leading force, with Mohammad Saleem (-50kg), Olympian Shah Hussain Shah (-110kg) and Sadaqat Ali (-66kg) all securing gold, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Syed Faisal Shah (-55kg) and Navy’s Akhas (-60kg) also topped their categories.
In the women’s events, PAF continued their strong showing through Naseema (-40kg) and Iram Shahzadi (-48kg), with Wapda’s Fozia Yasir (+70kg) and Navy’s Areeba Ameer (-44kg) claiming titles.
Taekwondo kyorugi saw Army dominate the mats, with Haroon (U-58kg), Arbaz Khan (U-68kg) and Ikhtasham-ul-Haq (U-87kg) winning the men’s titles, while Fateema (U-49kg) and Sarah (U-67kg) claimed gold for Army in the women’s events.
Badminton belonged emphatically to Wapda, who swept both the men’s and women’s team event finals.
In the men’s final, Wapda outclassed Army 3-1 with standout performances from Mohammad Ali Larosh and Irfan Saeed. The women’s final was even more one-sided, as Mahoor Shahzad led Wapda to a clinical 3-0 victory.
In softball, Pakistan Army edged Wapda 9-6 to secure the gold medal, while Wapda were crowned overall bodybuilding champions, claiming eight gold medals to continue their dominance in strength sports.
In tug of war, Pakistan Railways claimed gold in the men’s category, while Wapda secured the women’s title.
At the PNS Karsaz range, Navy’s shooters shone brightly. Hadiqa Iqbal took gold in the women’s 50m rifle event, while Navy swept the team category as well.
Abdul Qudoos also delivered gold in the 25m standard pistol, with the Navy team repeating that success. Army’s Colonel Farrukh Nadeem topped the individual trap event.
In wrestling, Wapda extended their grip on the medals table with gold medals for Hammad Butt (61kg) and Inayatullah (74kg), while Army’s Haider Ali delivered a strong performance to win the 86kg title.
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