Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem will be taking on the field at the 2026 Commonwealth Games javelin throw qualifying round on July 30 among 17 other participants in Glasgow, but better things are happening in connection with him, regardless of what happens in the competition.

The Paris Olympics record-maker and gold medallist has undeniably put Pakistan on the map when it comes to track and field events.

While there is a bevy of doubts about his form and lack of international participation at the Diamond Leagues or otherwise, there is more to look forward to, especially benefiting from the 29-year-old’s achievements.

The Government of Pakistan and Pakistan Olympic Association’s delegation met with Loughborough University to come up with a plan for the Arshad Nadeem High-Performance Academy to be established in Pakistan.

“It was a good meeting, and it has initiated the process of making a concept paper and how we can collaborate with Loughborough University; we’ll need the expertise, but the reception from the experts in the UK has been great,” the Pakistan Olympic Association Secretary Khalid Mahmood told Lost on the Desk from Glasgow.

He was accompanied by the Pakistan Sports Board Director General and Member National Assembly Ali Zahid, Arshad Nadeem’s coach Salman Iqbal Butt, and Dr Meesaq Rizvi in the meeting on July 27.

Mahmood explained that the academy will be the Pakistan government’s project.

The Pakistan Olympic Association are acting as a mediator to connect the Government of Pakistan with professional and international platforms needed to gain the best expertise available for this ambitious project.

“We are going to have the basic information about timelines, budgets, and other details of the project in the coming weeks, but the important part is that we are collaborating with the experts who are happy to help us. They are bridging the gap; of course, we have experts in Pakistan as well, but none of them has the experience of building a high-performance academy of this magnitude.

“The Pakistan Olympic Association is playing a major role in coordinating with the government and the international experts and facilities. We are hoping for great results.”

‘Arshad in a better form than he was in Paris’

Meanwhile, Mahmood added that he is hopeful of a great performance by Arshad Nadeem in Glasgow, which will be a follow-up to his 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games performance, when he became the first Asian to break the 90m barrier and took the gold medal with a 90.18m mark. It was also the Games record by Arshad.

Arshad will also be seeing his rival India’s Neeraj Chopra on the field for the first time since the Paris Olympics.

“We must expect top position in the javelin throw event from Arshad,” Mahmood added, as he was making his way to Arshad’s hotel in Glasgow to see him before the competition.
“We are hoping for the best results, and the thing about Commonwealth Games competition in javelin is that it is world-class; it is featuring all the top javelin throwers, from Sri Lanka to South Africa, to other countries.
“Arshad has heavyweight opponents whom he will meet at the world championships and the Olympics, so we must take this perspective when judging his performance and setting our expectations.

Arshad Nadeem made his first appearance of the 2026 season in Lucerne, Switzerland on July 16. He finished in ninth place, having his season best of 78.47m.

Last year, he took a gold medal at the Asian Championships in South Korea, where his spear travelled to a far shorter distance of 86.40m compared to his Olympic record-making mark of 92.97m.

In September 2025, he competed at the World Championships in Japan. He finished in 10th place with his best throw of 82.75m, and right after it, he took a gold medal at a rather lacklustre Islamic Solidarity Games javelin competition with a throw of 83.05m.

The Khanewal-based athlete has been battling injuries constantly, and underwent calf surgery in the United Kingdom last year.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s second javelin thrower Muhammad Yasir Sultan will also be competing alongside Arshad in Glasgow.

Yasir’s last international outing was also in Riyadh at the Islamic Solidarity Games, where he took a silver medal with a throw of 74.04m.

Yasir’s best performance at an international competition has been 79.93m at the Asian Athletics Championship 2023.

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This is going to be a new limited series of some interviews we did in the past and they are in the vault.

To kick it off, here is the Newcastle United great, a live wire on the field, a constant English Premier League fixture, at least for older millennials like me.

It was such a pleasure to speak to him on life, legacy, philosophy, playing with Maradona, and him picking Lamine Yamal as a player to watch out for when it comes to the new crop of legends.

This interview is from August 2025, just a few weeks after he arrived in Pakistan.

Since his arrival he has created history with the team by lifting the first stand alone trophy for Pakistan in 74 years.

I though it is a great opportunity to release this interview since Pakistan will be playing the FIFA ASEAN Cup in September-October 2026 for the first time.

According to a Pakistan Football Federation press release, Pakistan are one of 14 teams participating in the tournament and one of eight teams to compete in Indonesia.

Here’s wishing more highs to Solano’s Pakistan team.

I hope you all enjoy this virtual tête-à-tête!

Transcript with highlights

Why choose to come to Pakistan?

NR: There you are. So here it is. So, Nolberto, I just wanted to ask you first and foremost, what is it like to be in Pakistan and why Pakistan? Because what did you hear about Pakistan before coming here? Because a lot of times we do not get a great press abroad.

NS: Yeah, well, first of all, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak to all your audience, your people, follow you. It’s an honor. I’m saying many times, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege to be here, be part of the, represent your country in the football sport. So for me, it’s not really... Even I’m from Peru. I moved to England. I’ve been living in England for the last 20 years because I was playing football in England. I got a lot of friends from Pakistan. So I knew, of course, a little bit of your culture, of your country. But I’ve never been the opportunity the first time. So honestly, I’ve been, I would say, 10 days, 12 days so far. It’s been amazing. The reception, the welcome from everyone. So that made me... You know, get engaged a little bit faster and get me engaged to know what’s Pakistan about. And really, really, first of all, really, I would want to say thank you again to the president of the federation, Mr. Mohsen Gilani to get in touch with me to give me that wonderful opportunity. I understand Pakistan football. I’ve been talking before. We have a lot of few meetings before, you know, made decisions. I like the challenge. I like the challenge because what I see so far is being here like a week. Players, footballers are desperate to show the talents, you know. They are really, really working really hard, the boys. They want to show to the world, they want to be proud of Pakistan to move forward in the football. So that all, you know, convinced me to really be part of this because I know will be, like I said to you before, is a lot of issues and the way you call, if we want to call issues or problems. But the more important is if your heart is here, you want to do that. You don’t want to use excuses or make any excuses, yet you want to do it. That’s a part of myself, you know, building my career as a coach. So I hope so Pakistan give me the opportunity to carry on doing my career as a football coach. I hope so. Like you said in your language, Inshallah, I’ve been learning that. So all these dreams come true.

Being a superstar vs being a coach

NR: Right. So, I mean, for you as a player, because you’ve played football at the highest level, I remember watching you while watching the English Premier League. So obviously it is such a surreal thing to be now interviewing you as well. But for you personally, Playing football at a very competitive level and then switching to coaching, what has been your personal journey and is easy, is difficult and how does that play a part in life generally for you?

NS: Well, it’s completely different, of course, when you’re a player. It’s responsibilities less because you only just go training, perform on the weekend. So as a coach, as a manager, you have a massive responsibility because there’s a lot of players you need to look after. And your knowledge, you have to build in a team, you have to construction whatever the idea we want to play, the way we want to play. So it’s really... What I thought when I was a player to say, oh, it look easy, but it’s not. I will say to many managers, now you appreciate when they’re winning things. They are really wow. They are hard to you. Really appreciate. But like I’m saying, I’m really... Like you mentioned, the next step for Pakistan Federation or everybody involved in football is, fingers crossed, Pakistan sooner they can have a Premier League, you know, a professional football. Because you have a lot of talent. You’re a huge country, massive country, 240 million people. It should be a lot of talents around. But you need to give it the platform. You need to give it a club. You need to wake it up to say, okay, we want to be the next one to move forward to the boys to develop good players. You know, the kids in here, like I know your country, so massive big fans of cricket. All the young boys want to play cricket, want to play hockey. I believe now the football is became very popular too. So... We hope so. The Federation, all the people involved, it’s not only the president, it’s everyone needs to be in the same positive way to say, come on, we need to move Pakistan in the football. So we need to be competitive. To be competitive is you need to have a professional lead. The player has to be more, I mean, has to be professional. It will understand when you need to fight for something, win, play for win, play for win a trophy, things like that. That will happen. So I mean, that way, I mean, I hope to be a little bit part of this building football here in Pakistan. So I’m really proud. I’m so happy to be here.

Solano’s philosophy as a coach

NR: Right, and I can clearly see that you’re very passionate about rebuilding Pakistan football. For you, Norberto, what have you seen in Pakistani players so far? I know you’ve seen a bit of the camp and then there’s also the squad that was announced yesterday. So, two questions. First is, what is your philosophy when it comes to coaching? And secondly, what has been your criteria when it comes to selecting the players? Like, is there any general thing that you’re looking for? What impresses you the most in a player?

NS: Being very, a lot of help, you know, when I arrive here, I’m working with two, three coaches from locals coaching from Pakistan and being helping to selections and not being short time. I have to be honest. To adapt, I will always say about philosophy, you know, it’s a very nice word when you’re here in football. To me, football is a simple game, if you want to play simple. It’s more about adapting. It’s not my philosophy. It’s about adapting myself, adapting what the Pakistan players can do. Remember, like we were talking before, the Pakistan need to support, the players need to support with strategic, with tactic, because remember, when you’re not playing high level, Every weekend is difficult because when you come in the national team, it’s a different level. You play against the best player from Iraq, the best player from Oman, the best player from Cambodia or whatever it is. So we must prepare mental. So what I see so far from these boys is... Hungry. They are really hungry. They want to doing well. They want to look like the players is desperate to go because the moment I’m here in Pakistan, they don’t have much opportunity to play professional football. They look this player to want to go abroad, play football abroad, you know, so. That’s we try to, in the short period, I see a lot of talent. I see young boys, you know, hungry to doing well, hungry to learn. So that’s made me a little bit confident and positive. So we have that tournament in less than 10 days in a week. Being here, we have to face the pre-Olympic matches against Iraq, against Oman, against Cambodia. So, but I’m positive. I’m positive. As a person, I’m positive. Of course, it’s not much time, but we try to in this week working really hard. We having double sessions, try to get on first of all with the players. Not many of them, you know, speak the language, but always a football language for me is around the world is the same in Pakistan, in Peru, in Brazil, in Argentina, in England. It’s the same ball, 11-11. So that language being no issues for me when trying to communicate or trying to ask the player what we want from then in the pitch. So I hope so they will get together sooner. These boys need to play each other together. You know, they need to be together because that’s only the way we want to be successful. If we’re strong, Together as a team, I believe that will be our philosophy. Be strong as a team, you know, fighting together, attacking together, defending together. And I hope so we have a good tournament next week.

Difference between coaching U23 and the Pakistan Nat’l team

NR: Right. And for you, it was first announced that you’d be coaching the national under 23. And then it was announced, at least for the local press, we were told that you’d also be taking on the duties of the national head coach. Is it difficult or is it easy? Does it make it easy for you as a professional coach to have an under-23 team under your wing and also then forming a national team? Is it something that you find easy or difficult?

NS: Like I’m saying, both responsibilities. I know we look after the senior team. You go, of course, more professional players in this senior team. A lot of these guys have the opportunity to talk already. But at the moment, we focus only on their 23s because we have a competition this week. After we come back from Cambodia, we have a time to, of course, looking around how many You have a quite good, a lot of few international players, you know, and the senior team play abroad. So it will be important to helping the team, you know, the boys from local boys, mix it up with the abroad players from abroad. It will help in a lot. So. We need to make that combination. But what we say at the moment, we’re talking to our staff is we need to focus on under-23s. And after that, we go before the next matches to qualify to Asia Cup. With the senior team, we have a time to prepare for that because The only with the senior team, as you know, because it’s FIFA rule, the players only allowed to arrive only week early, only week before the match. So we don’t have enough time, but I hope so. We need to get together with the locals. We want to carry on. After the 23 tournament in Cambodia, we want to try to arrange a To training with the locals boys with potential to be in the senior team. So we try to do another training camp in there until the other players arrive with the two boys joined together. So yes, like I’m saying, it’s not easy under 23. It’s not easy senior team, of course. It’s a massive responsibility. But like I said to you before, we still believe what we can do. We still believe in the players. I hope so the players understand quicker the idea we want to do. Us from then to doing the pitch represent the best way Pakistan in the international football.

Challenges with Pakistan

NR: Right. And as you said that your focus is to get the results. And then Pakistan is famous for not having a real style of local football because we do not have academies. Obviously, there is a lot of infrastructure issues. We do not have quality facilities. So does that make you worry a little bit and intimidate you?

NS: Listen, Natasha, I know what you mean. That’s why all these issues, all these things, I knew before I arrived. I’m not here looking for excuses. I’m ready to work. The players, while we go, we try to do our best. After all these things you just mentioned, it has to be off to the Federation. The Federation, the people on charge, of course, in the charge, I believe in Mohsen Gilani, the chairman, the president of the Federation, he has a lot of ambitions too. So we hope so, step by step. That’s not what will change in a week, in two weeks. Maybe we’ll take a little bit of time. But I hope so, at the same time, when we’re looking for that change, The Pakistan results in international tournaments start to come true, you know. But as you say, it’s not easy, but I’m a really positive person. Fingers crossed. Inshallah, like you say here. So we start to doing well.

NR: And for you, I saw that coaching, you haven’t had like a long stint of coaching in terms of, you know, staying in a country for a year or two or three, you know. So obviously it’s a long commitment. So for you, what are you targeting with Pakistan? Like if you have, you know, do you have any targets that you say, you know what, I’ve set up certain goals. If you would like to share them, I know you’d want to keep them, you know, private as well. But if you can just share a little bit about, you know, what is it that you’re trying to achieve with the Pakistani team personally? Because I know Stefan Konstantin was here. He was taking it on as a challenge, right? That, oh, I’ll get this team qualified. So every coach has certain strategic things that they’re looking for. So what is it for you?

NS: I believe very much in the present because we’re here. We... We got blessed to be here and the opportunities. So the future, I’m never thinking in the future because we never know what’s going to happen in two, three years. Nobody knows the future. Only we have to be pleased. God be blessed to be here. That’s the reason. Whatever I have to face, like a tournament in this case, you know, going to under 23s, You know, we want to work in really, really hard to try to qualify, you know, to stay in the competition. And after another dream is try to be with the senior team, you know, to try to qualify to the Asian Cup. So that’s to me, I mean, with all this, as you know, everybody know, all the issues, all the things, just try to live in the side. It has to be thinking in positive. And like I said to you before, it If everything, fingers crossed, going well, that helping probably all this plan for the future in Pakistan, Lee will help him. Maybe we go a little bit, a step maybe a little bit faster. So yeah, like I said to you, I’ve been in the game, I’ve been in football, I’ve been competitive for many years. So I like it to be competitive as a coach. I like to pass this message to the players. I told all the time, day by day with training, you remember, never forget, you represent your country. We have to go fight, do our best we can, you know. So that’s to me, that’s because what I’m saying again, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but the plan is supposed to be in the future. I hope so, still in the future. We’re still in charge in the future in Pakistan. We’re moving on everybody together, you know?

Similarities between Peru and Pakistan

NR: And I think I’m coming to my favorite question. I think it’s just one of the questions that I’d like to ask is, is there any commonality that you found between Peruvian football and Pakistan and especially people? Football is obviously a way of connecting with each other. It is because of football that I’m connecting with you as well. And of course, saw you play. So what do you think connects? Is there anything common between Peruvian people and Pakistani people? Have you seen any common threads?

NS: Listen, you know, I was quite impressed with the food. The food is pretty similar. We eat a lot of rice in Peru. In Peruvian people eat a lot of rice with everything, you know, with chicken, with beef, lamb, fish. So, yes, it’s quite similar things. Of course, you go here, your religion, you can tell how much religion you are here. But the way probably, maybe I said too many times to people, the way you drive, we’re pretty similar. So, but yeah, people nice. Honestly, you very humble people, you know, I’m working very, very kind people, really, really kind. We in Peru the same, we foreign people, really kind. You here is amazing, the people. It made you feel so welcome, you know. So it is very, very nice. I told you, very nice. And I said to you, it’s quite pretty, pretty, pretty similar few things, pretty similar. But yes, I tell you, honestly, you’ve been so nice everywhere. And people, treatment, especially people involved in football, Of course, many people don’t know me much because when you walk in the street, no people recognize. One day, I hope so, when we start to get successful, maybe I will get more compliments from people. But so far, you are very, very warm people, very nice people.

A moment o grace on the field while playing with greats

NR: Well, thank you. Thank you so much. Now, one more thing I wanted to ask is, in your long career, again, I think you’ve played with one of the greats. I wanted to ask, have you ever felt a moment of grace on the pitch or off the pitch that had made you feel like football is bigger than just a game?

NS: Yeah, of course. I’m saying we are lucky in this profession, Natasha. We are very, very lucky. Footballers, coaching, because you will recognize, it’s nice to be recognized, you know, from people. Sometimes I say life is not fair because I see doctors, nurses, many people, policemen, sacrifice things, you know, people in the army. They are, for me, real heroes, you know, because they are people... Working so hard to save lives, do things like that. And after, we are lucky to people, You know, value us, what we’re doing in the pitch. I know we’re entertainment, you know, the football is entertainment, but it’s amazing. You have good moments, bad moments, but you never forget. I will never forget we’re humans. We ended the day with humans. So I’ve been learning from home. My family, my dad was in the Navy. My mom, of course, working at home because we have too many kids. I was the last one from seven. So we all the time being education to respect people, doesn’t matter who we are. But the more important, we are humans. That we’re humans. So that we learn in life. So it’s nice. It’s very grateful when people come in to appreciate what we’re doing in the football. But at the end of the day, I feel like yourself, like anybody else, because yes, we’re humans. So I’m really proud. I’m really lucky to be in this profession. But at the end of the day, like I said to you, we are humans. We have to respect each other.

Solano predicts Lamine Yamal to be one of the greats

NR: Right. And, okay, a few questions for international football, because I would not let you go otherwise.

NS: No problem.

NR: All right. So, who is one player to look out for now? Do you think in international football, be it club, in any which way that you think, one young player or talent that you think would be a generational talent?

NS: In the whole world, you mean?

NR: Yes. Yes.

NS: Well, the player you can tell, everyone, I believe we will be agreed, is Lamel, Lamel, Llamal, no? Yamal, the boy Yamal from Barcelona. It looks like it will be, it got all the talent to be the next generation of the best players in the world. We’ll see. It’s still very early, but it’s so far so can be one of the best players.

Playing with the idol Maradona

NR: Right. And for you in your career, what has been, I don’t want to ask favorite, but what has been your most memorable or a game that you enjoyed the most? What has been that game for you?

NS: Oh, I have a great time when I moved to Boca Juniors, one of the biggest clubs. Played with Diego Armando Maradona, my friend. It was like, wow, it’s a dream. A dream for me to one of my best players back in the years, in the 80s. I was only six years old. I have a lot of He was my idol, Maradona. For all we born in the 70s, 74, 75, our idol was Maradona. I was very, very lucky and proud to play with him. He was my teammate. It’s a shame he’s not here anymore. God bless him. But he was a fantastic person. He was for me. I was over the moon. Played for Boca Union, win Maradona. I cannot ask him for more. But I moved to the Premier League. I was the first Peruvian player in the Premier League. It’s another that made me so proud. We had a great time with Sir Bobby Robson from the 2000 and 2004. Around these years, it was a fantastic time in Newcastle.

Solano on Brazilian ‘Triple Rs’

NR:And who has been your most influential player from your generation, do you think?

NS: Well, like I’m saying, I will say, he always, I was quite lucky in the generation I’m born playing football. You know, I had to play against Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, big Ronaldo, we call it big Ronaldo, no Ronaldo, the Brazilian Ronaldo. Fantastic player, Rivaldo, you know, great, great, fantastic player. Always I like Brazilian players, you know, the Brazilian players always show We have a pretty similar style in South America to play football, to enjoy a smile. Neymar is another fantastic player. But yeah, I will say back in the years, always Maradona was an inspiration for us.

Solano on his legacy

NR: Right. And to wrap it all off, what do you think? Will be your legacy. I think every person thinks about it at some point in life, no matter who they are. And of course, you have so much on your list of achievements. I mean, it’s hard to beat that. No normal person can. So what do you think would be your legacy?

NS: Well, like I’m saying, I’m really... Honest person. I like it to be honest to people. I like it. I really appreciate when people give me opportunities. So I will work in really, really, really hard to honestly from the heart to hope so be part of the small part of the Pakistan football in the future. That to me will be my legacy. It will be fantastic if he achieved that.

On info-gaps about teams at regional events

NR: Right. And I was just looking at the schedule and the teams you would be playing against in Group G. What do you think? Do you know any coaches in those teams? Iraq, Cambodia, Oman? To be honest...

NS:The information being very, very poor. We tried to search, we scout, with people around the world to say, because they play, we found out Iraq play against India, sorry, two friendly matches they play against today, I think. But we have no information because they play in the closed door. So it looks like, well, being hiding. The same from Cambodia, the same from Oman, being difficult, maybe for them too, because we, We don’t have, we don’t give much information, but like I’m saying, we only, in this case, we try to prepare ourselves, be strong, prepare whatever it is we have to face, like Iraq, Oman, Cambodia, we will be prepared for that. We will be ready for them. It won’t be easy, as you know, but we hope so. Fingers crossed, and we’re doing quite a good tournament.

South American football style vs European football

NR: Right, and one more thing, I know I’m just, because I think I have this opportunity to pick your brains.

NS: No problem, Natasha. No problem. I got plenty of time.

NR:So you have played football at the highest level on both like in the Latin American, South American continent and the European continent. What do you think is like I personally grew up with my father. We’ve always in Pakistan, we’ve loved Brazil and we’ve loved Argentina. There’s a huge fan following for these two teams. And unfortunately, We don’t get to see a lot of club matches from there, but each time we have World Cups, everybody is either supporting Brazil or Argentina, at least in Karachi. That’s where I’m from. So what do you think is the difference between the culture and just as a player growing up and then playing in Europe? What do you think is the difference between these two continents and the way they look at football?

NS: Well, what we say in South America, we probably, we don’t have, well, now it’s pretty, pretty, we improve a lot in South America. But back in the years, The, I will say the facility for the footballers in South America wasn’t easy. It wasn’t the best. Europe always been ahead of many things, you know, good training ground, good training pitch. So what we say, what we learn or what we bond with the talent we play in football and a lot of ability because the fields, the fields wasn’t the best. The fields you sometimes play in the street because the weather is completely different with Europe. So all this ability always been key for Argentina or South American football. That’s why when back in the years, many years, you know, when Brazil or Argentina or South American team play against Europe teams, it was something different. But it looks like to me now, probably Europeans now is too much influence into South American footballers. Now they take it very early to move to Europe and change a little bit the style. But what we say all the time, we enjoy very much. We smile very much. We have so much ability to play football. So that was make the difference, you know, South America would compare with European players. But that’s I told you about that’s happened 20 years ago. Now is don’t see much like that because it’s like I said to you, they bring in too early South American players into Europe. So they’re adapting more into European style than keeping the South American style. But I would say all great footballs around the world, creating from England, from Germany, Belgium, Portuguese, Spain. So they have a fantastic football too. So that whole mix makes now the football, as you’re watching Premier League now, the best leagues. That mix it all looks like a fantastic league. It makes everybody to love football now.

Best advice Solano has to pass on to you

NR: Right. And lastly, what has been one advice that was given to you that you think you’ve kept for the rest of your life? What has been your favorite advice given to you and what would you like to pass it on?

NS: No, just to be honest. Discipline, I believe, is a very key, important thing because for everyone in life, yourself, myself, in this, any profession, you have to have a discipline and be humble. Be a nice person. That’s the more important. And after, you know, everybody can win. You can win. You can lose. But at the end of the day, the more important you be a good person.

NR: Well, thank you so much, Norberto. I can really feel the positivity and genuineness and sincerity from you.

NS: Thank you.

NR: I’m just going to, you know, since we’re saying bye. But thank you so much. I hope to speak to you soon. I hope to be cheering for your team.

NS: Anytime.

Solano’s message for Pakistanis

NR: Is there anything left, any message that you have for Pakistanis, if you want to say?

NS: No, no. Just be together. I’m saying to everyone, just being together. That’s very important, especially where we are. I like it to all federation, all the members, the president, game, and the same mentality. It’s the only one. The only one winner is Pakistan football and national team. I know many disagrees probably from different sides. It’s part of the life. But when we now we’re involved, it just has to be together in the same mentality, positive. Because, you know, everybody knows it won’t be a easy job. But I believe if we’re all together working hard, all the good vibes, you know, positive vibes, it’s important for all the results come for Pakistan national team.

NR: I’m saying thank you so much. I hope you have a great day and best of luck with everything that you do.

NS: Thank you, my friend. You too. All the best. We’ll speak to you soon.

NS: Same. Bye-bye.

Bye. Thank you.

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Fatima Zahra wrote a new chapter in history as the first Pakistani woman boxer to secure a medal at the Commonwealth Games, as she defeated New Zealand’s Jordan Wilson 5-0 on points in a dominant way on July 28.

The 22-year-old hails from the small city of Sargodha in Punjab, and she had been carrying the responsibility to secure at least one boxing medal for the country in Glasgow, as all the other boxers in the squad were not able to get past the round of 16.

Even if she loses in the semifinal she will bag a bronze medal.

With her win, she hit three main feats:

• She became the first Pakistani woman in boxing to secure a medal.

• She also became the first boxer in 12 years to take a medal for Pakistan at the Games- the last time it was 2014 when Muhammad Waseem grabbed a silver medal.

• She also opened the count for Pakistan at the 2026 Games, as no other Pakistani athlete has reached the point where they are eligible for a medal in Glasgow yet.

“Alhamdulillah (Thanks to Allah), I am feeling incredibly proud of this achievement,” Faitma Zahra told Lost on the Desk right after her quarterfinal bout in Glasgow, where she was fighting in blue trunks. This is her second historic feat, as she also became the first Pakistani to win a boxing medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games in November 2025.

“I have worked so hard for this medal, for the Commonwealth Games, for the last few months.
“I am just grateful to Allah that He has blessed me with this win and He has given me this honour to represent my country in the best way possible.”

Fatima is eyeing another win in the semifinal on July 31 where she will meet Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh.

Earlier, Fatima defeated Lesotho’s Raeleboha Segoete 5-0 in the round of 16.

This is the second time Pakistan fielded a woman boxer at the Games. The last time it was Mehreen Baloch, who lost in the preliminaries.

Meanwhile, Pakistan team manager and the Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary Major Irfan Younis added that the win has meant everything for the entire boxing squad.

“I don’t have words even; it is difficult to explain what we’re feeling right now as we’ve just witnessed this win,” Younis told Lost on the Desk from Glasgow right after the bout. He was crying out of joy and was overwhelmed with emotion when he spoke about the win.

Younis has played a crucial role in Fatima’s career. He picked her for the Army departmental team from Pakistan Air Force.

He gave Fatima the confidence to represent the country at the international events, including Paris Olympics qualifiers, Asian Games and Islamic Solidarity Games.

“Allah has been kind to us for this success; we are now looking to the next bout, where we have a chance to produce an even better result in the semifinal.”

Younis believed in her ability to translate her wins at the domestic level into international events.

Fatima is the eight-time national champion since 2021, when she made her comeback to boxing after she had quit because of social pressure.

She was ostracised by family, friends and relatives for pursuing a career in boxing.

“I had quit boxing for one and a half years,” Fatima had told Lost on the Desk in an interview earlier. “It was the most depressing time of my life. I would go out at 2 am to train and run on an open field in front of my house, so that people didn’t see me train.

“They would make such cutting remarks because I was doing what I wanted to do. Boxing is still perceived as a sport for men. But as a Pakistani woman, I have learned that we need to fight for every small thing that we want.”

Fatima began boxing in 2018, when she saw the sport during her summer vacations.

Watching her passion for boxing grow, her father, who himself is an athlete as a karate black belt, took her to a local academy, owned by former national boxer Raheel Adnan.

Adnan gave her all the necessary things she needed, such as gloves, shoes, headgear, and attire to begin training properly, and within a few months Fatima was ready to fight in local events.

“I am just astounded at her performance,” Adnan told Lost on the Desk from Sargodha. He too was clearly overjoyed and excited like Younis. “She has done it. I am so overwhelmed at these results that I am really unable to speak right now.

“But I am very glad she concentrated on gaining points instead of trying to knock her opponent down.”

Earlier, Adnan had said that Fatima was always dedicated to the sport as a child, and has the same drive even after becoming an elite boxer.

“I have never seen any boxer as dedicated as her; she is extremely self-driven. As she trained with me even on Eidul Azha, even though it was her day off from the national camp, she came and trained so she wouldn’t lose her motivation or lack in fitness in any way,” said Adnan.

Trick to raise her confidence before the fight

Fatima is self-driven and takes initiatives to better her performances. But she cannot do that unless she remains mentally strong.

When asked what she does to boost her confidence before her bouts, she said that mostly she listens to patriotic songs to get into the spirit. Often she would imagine herself as the victor, as a figure that has won a battle for her country, because ultimately, boxing, for her, is a way to serve her nation.

“This ritual helps me and gives me at least 80 percent of the confidence I need to perform,” said Fatima, mischievously.

But in all fairness, looking back at her performance, she feels that moving up to the 60 kg weight class made a huge difference for her as opposed to the previous 57kg.

Fatima is a tall girl by Pakistani standards, standing at 5 feet 6 inches; shedding weight to 57 kg had been an added struggle in the ring for her.

“My natural weight is 60 kg upwards, and at times competing in 57 kg events made me weak, be it national or international, but when I competed in 60 kg, I felt good, I felt like myself, and I feel I can turn this bronze medal from the Islamic Games to a gold medal in the international events to come if I can get more support from the government,” reflected Fatima.

You can read her full profile here.

Pakistani boxers are keen to register more wins as Malaika Zahid will be taking the stage at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where she will compete in the 54 kg event, while Sumama Rehman will also be in action against an Indian opponent on July 26.

Malaika is a Quetta-based national champion in her category. She has been a key influence in setting up the current crop of boxers who are showing promising results at the international events.

She is the first female boxer from Balochistan, a province that has produced several men’s boxing champions.

“Maliaka is a brilliant boxer; she is the first girl from the Army sports department to become a boxer, and we are very proud of her; in fact, we started making the Army boxing team and the national women’s boxing team with her,” the Army sports department official and the Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary Major Irfan Younis told Lost on the Desk from Glasgow.

“We didn’t have women’s boxing teams till a few years ago, and it all started with her properly. We are hoping for very good results from her.”

Maliaka will fight Zambia’s Catherine Mwape in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Sumama Rehman is making his international debut. He represents Wapda in domestic competitions.

The Lahore-based pugilist will face India’s Jadumani Singh Mandengbam in the 55kg round of 16 bout.

“Sumama is a good boxer, but his competition is tough as he will be facing an Indian boxer who is far better in ranking, but we can hope for a good bout,” said Younis.

Earlier, Afzal Khan lost to Canada’s Gabriel Labrie 5-0 in the 65 kg round of 16 bout. He was the first Pakistani to post a win at Glasgow on July 24.

“We have identified the talent, and we are working with the athletes diligently as a federation, but we need infrastructure and assistance with finances from the government.

“For example, Rs 1 million is required to send one athlete to one international event; then we need to arrange for at least one coach who can accompany that athlete.

“We need three coaches with every boxing squad to oversee them, but we make do with one as we are woefully underfunded.

“If the government helps us, we would like to arrange training tours for our athletes that last for a few months in countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. We would like to target Central Asian countries because they are not as expensive.

“The concept of athlete development is to facilitate the players for four to eight years, and only then can we expect to qualify for the Olympics,” explained Younis.

Elsewhere, swimmers including Olympian Jehanara Nabi and Hamza Asif competed in 100m women’s freestyle and men’s 50m breaststroke, respectively. They did not go beyond their heats.

Muhammad Ayub Qureshi finally registered a win at lawn bowls; he defeated a Fijian player in the men’s singles sectionals.

Pakistan’s Qudratullah Khan will be competing in the 60kg men’s Commonwealth Games 2026 on July 25 as he is carrying the hope of repeating his result from Riyadh last year, where he won the Islamic Solidarity Games bronze medal.

The line cook by night (makes parathas at a local food spot in Quetta) and boxer by day, the 20-year-old hails from Quetta, where he began boxing at Al Muslim Sports Academy with Moulvi Ishaq at the age of 16.

“At 16, I was working at a hotel as a labourer when my coach and ustaad [mentor and teacher] Moulvi Ishaq Muhammad noticed me, and he invited me to box,” Qudrat had told Lost on the Desk earlier. “That was the luckiest day for me, as boxing chose me. The sport gave me a greater purpose.”

In just four years, he has been able to not only emerge as a top contender at the national championships, but also has been able to grab his first international medal at the Belt and Road International Boxing Gala 57kg event that took place in China last August, following it up with his second success at the Islamic Solidarity Games.

On the domestic level, he secured a silver medal for his departmental team, the Pakistan Army, during the National Games, where 13 other sides were competing in December 2025.

He will take on Fiji’s Jone Davule in the round of 32.

“Qudratullah is in good shape before his bout; he will be looking to build on his performance from the Islamic Solidarity Games, where he became the first Pakistani to bag a medal in men’s boxing,” team manager and the Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary Major Irfan Younis updated Lost on the Desk from Glasgow.

Qudrat’s bout is the last event for Pakistani contingent on July 25.

Earlier, Swimmers continued their failure to impress at the international stage.

Olympian Jahanara Nabi competed in 200m freestyle and finished sixth out of eight competitors in her heat.

Meanwhile, Hareem Malik competed in the 100m breaststroke, and Hamza Asif participated in the 50m freestyle.

In lawn bowls, Pakistan’s Muhammad Ayub Qureshi competed in the men’s singles sectional play and lost to England’s Sam Tolchard 2-0.

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Pakistan’s boxer Fatima Zahra is on the verge of creating history in her next bout at the 2026 Commonwealth Games 60kg quarterfinals.

Winning it would mean a spot in the semifinal that would confirm at least a bronze medal for Pakistan.

With that, she will become the first Pakistani woman to ever bag a Commonwealth Games medal in her sport.

In her opening bout of the round of 16, she completely dominated her opponent from Lesotho, Raeleboha Segoete, on July 24, as the referee had to stop the bout (Referee Stop Game) due to the latter’s inability to reply in the ring.

Coach Nisar Khan, who trained Fatima, 22, at the national camp in Islamabad along with the other four Pakistani boxers in the Games, and the Pakistan Army sports official and Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary Major Irfan Younis believe that she can achieve a good result in the quarterfinal too, where she will face a seasoned boxer, New Zealand’s Jordan Wilson, 35 on July 28.

“We are very hopeful for a good result in the quarterfinal for Fatima,” Younis and coach Nisar told Lost on the Desk. “We are preparing our plan now and are analysing what weaknesses and strong points Wilson has. So we can work on it.
“We are hopeful that Allah will help us in this. She will be our first woman to win a Commonwealth medal, and that will be a huge achievement.”

Fatima’s opening bout showed that she is feeling confident in her ability to deliver good results as she did at the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 in November, where she also became the first Pakistani woman to win a medal in boxing.

Before last year’s performance in Riyadh, Fatima said she was considering quitting the sport because doubts were setting in as she was not getting the results she wanted after outings at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Asian Games previously.

However, shifting from the 57 kg category to 60 kg has helped the pugilist last year. Shedding weight had hurt her performances at the international stage before that.

She stands 5 feet and 6 inches tall, and believes that her strength lies in her right-hand jabs that ensure good finishes.

“The last fight was great for her; her right hand is very dangerous, and she has a great range as well; her opponents would have a tough time against her,” said Fatima’s personal coach away from the national camp, who trains her in her hometown Sargodha.

Trivia

Previously, Pakistani women’s boxer Mehreen became the first from the country to compete at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

She lost in her first bout in the round of 16.

Fatima Zahra’s profile at a glance

Undefeated national champion in featherweight from 2021 onward.

International achievements:

International medal: Islamic Solidarity Games 2025, bronze in featherweight, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Participated in the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.
Participated in the Olympic qualifiers round 1, Italy.
Qualified for the Youth World Championship, Spain.
Competed at the 3rd Belt & Road International Boxing Gala, China.
Participated in a training tour for the World Olympic Sports Awareness, China.

National achievements: Youth national champion held in Karachi, 2022

Youth national champion held in Quetta, 2022.
Gold medalist in DHA 2nd Women Championship
Gold medal in KPT National Championship 2023
Gold medal in the 34th National Games in Quetta, 2023
Inter Department Championship, gold medal in Abbottabad, 2024
Gold medal in the National Championship in Karachi and declared Best female boxer in 2025
Gold medal at the National Games 2025 in Karachi.
Professional Boxing Achievements: Pakistan Pro Green featherweight belt holder from the WBC boxing event in Islamabad

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Pakistani boxers are hoping against hope, and despite competing on a shoestring budget, they are looking to surprise you and even win a medal or two.

Their first success came as the national welterweight champion Afzal Khan defeated Seychelles’ Jovanie Bouzin 5-0 in a unanimous decision at the 2026 Commonwealth Games boxing preliminaries in Glasgow on July 24.

This is also the first win in any competition for Pakistan at the 2026 Games.

At the same time, two Pakistani Olympian swimmers who competed earlier in the day had failed to even qualify beyond their first heats.

Up next, the Islamic Solidarity Games bronze medallist Fatima Zahra will take the stage in the lightweight bout against Lesotho’s Raeleboha Segoete.

Afzal Khan hails from Quetta and represents Pakistan Navy in the national circuit. He won the national championship title last year.

The 21-year-old won his bout on points.

“By the grace of Allah, Afzal have won the bout,” the Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary and team manager in Glasgow Major Irfan Younis expressed the gratitude right after the bout in his comments to Lost on the Desk.

The boxers are poised to have a decent finish apart from medal hopes that are pinned on the Paris Olympic champion javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, and Olympian judoka Shah Hussain Shah.

Misfits and hustlers

The boxing draws were revealed on July 23, and the Pakistan Boxing Federation secretary, who is also playing a major role as a supporting official for the boxers, added there are chances of good results despite tough competition in each of the five categories the country is fielding athletes.

There are 14 boxing events at the Games, seven categories for men and seven for women.

“The draws are not bad, but there is a lot of competition,” Major Irfan Younis eaplained. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t field boxers in all of the categories, especially in the less competitive ones since we do not have boxers available for them, because we do not have the resources for it; there are financial constraints.

“The Pakistan Sports Board only supported us with just two athletes, but we still managed to bring five athletes along with a coach and a manager. It takes a good amount of resources to prepare a boxer for each category, but if we had more boxers competing in a larger number of events it would increase the possibility of winning more medals.”

Besides Afzal and Fatima, Islamic Solidarity Games bronze medallist in men’s boxing Qudratullah will take on Zambia’s Albert Ngullube in the 60 kg boxing preliminary.

Sumama Rehman got a bye in the men’s 55 kg event; he will compete directly in the second round of preliminaries.

Malaika Zahid will be competing in 54kg second preliminary round after getting a bye in the first.

Element of surprise

Younis added that there are 74 teams, and he said that the boxers from the African continent always carry an element of surprise.

“You can get some really good boxers from the African countries, but at the same time we don’t know much about them, so there is a mystery there too. Similarly, boxers from Scotland and England are dominant, and the Indians are really good. They have a strong contingent.

“When it comes to women’s boxing, India have been world champions.

“They also have men’s boxers in the Olympics too. So it is going to be a very tough road to medals for Pakistan,” explained the Pakistan Boxing Federation secretary and team manager, as he is also supervising a long-term plan for the development of boxing in Pakistan.

The boxing federation also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, and had a two-week training camp for boxers with Kazakh coaches in June ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

“These boxers we have are also coming from talent hunts we did for the boxing federation, and we are trying our best to implement our plan for the long term. We are giving all that we can,” added Younis, who is also completing his PhD while working with the boxers.

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“Pakistan is overall at a disadvantage this time at the Commonwealth Games; we don’t have athletes representing in our best sports,” the Pakistan Olympic Association and the Pakistan Commonwealth Games Association Secretary, Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, lamented as the downsized edition of the multidisciplinary sports event kicked off on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

The biggest disadvantage for Pakistan is the exclusion of wrestling, in which the country has a total of 46 medals, including 21 golds, in the Commonwealth Games campaigns since 1954, while weightlifting is another sport that has given two gold medals to Pakistan.

The scaled-back version of the 2026 Commonwealth Games has resulted from escalating costs and inflation, which forced the original hosts, Victoria, Australia, to withdraw their bid. Eventually, Scotland agreed to take on the responsibility, but with only 10 sports compared to the 20 featured in the 2022 Birmingham edition.

For Pakistan, the 2022 Games were also the second most successful campaign with two gold medals that were won by Nooh Dastgir Butt in the +109kg weightlifting category and Arshad Nadeem, who also made the record with his 90.18m throw.

Wrestlers brought home three silver medals and a bronze for Pakistan in 2022, but wrestling is one of more than 10 sports discarded from the program this time.

This time, however, the hopes for a medal are only pinned on 2024 Paris Olympics record-maker and gold medallist Arshad, while there are chances of Pakistani boxers also finishing on the podium.

Another star is judoka Shah Hussain Shah, who represented Pakistan at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

He will join the contingent with his Japanese coach on July 30.

Shah Hussain boasts a record of a silver medal that he won in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games; he will want to turn it into gold in the 100kg event.

He contributed to Pakistan’s tally in the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a bronze medal.

The Pakistan Olympic Association is fielding 14 men and seven women across six sports competing in athletics, boxing, gymnastics, judo, lawn bowls and swimming. Eight officials are supporting the athletes and six contingent officials representing administration.

All travel, accreditation, accommodation and administrative arrangements have been completed in coordination with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), National Sports Federations and the Glasgow 2026 Organising Committee, noted a Pakistan Olympic Association press release.

Why are weightlifters missing the Commonwealth Games?

Pakistan’s top medal contender Nooh Dastgir Butt, who set the Games record with a combined total of 405 kg in +109 kg, will not be a part of the contingent because the International Weightlifting Federation suspended the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation after the International Testing Agency found at least six weightlifters guilty of doping in 2022.

The International Weightlifting Federation has sanctioned US $ 30,000 that Pakistan must pay for the ban to be lifted. However, that has not happened yet.

Nooh Dastgir Butt has been clean all his career, and he has been forced to leave his record-making career behind due to the previous corrupt administration of the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation, whose president was also handed a lifetime ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling on April 2, 2026.

The Pakistan Olympic Association, therefore, are unable to help Nooh or other weightlifters because of the ban.

“This is absolutely a loss for Pakistan, but even if we wanted to we couldn’t help due to the ban by the International Weightlifting Association, if it was only a domestic issue, or it was just a problem with Pakistan Weightlifting Federation internally, we could’ve worked around it to facilitate the athletes to compete at the multidisciplinary events like the Olympics, Asian Games, or the Commonwealth Games, but if the federation is banned by the international body, we can’t help the athletes,” explained Mahmood.

How does POA decide who leads the contingent at the opening ceremony?

Olympian Arshad Nadeem and Chef de Mission Major General Adil Rehmani will lead the Pakistani contingent as the flag bearers.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Solidarity Games bronze medallist boxer Fatima Zahra will carry the King’s Baton during the ceremony.

Mahmood said that Arshad is an obvious choice because he is the most accomplished Pakistani athlete competing at the games, while Fatima was chosen because of her achievement in Riyadh last year.

On day one of the games, Pakistan saw their first loss when the 67-year-old Mohammed Ayub Qureshi lost to a 32-year-old Welsh player, Ross Owen, in the lawn bowls men’s singles sections opening fixture.

Pakistan is making a debut at lawn bowls.

Pakistan also participated in the 12th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting through a delegation led by a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and the Director General, Pakistan Sports Board, Zahid Ali. The delegation was assisted by Naila Israr, Counsellor, Pakistan High Commission in the UK, and Mahmood, Secretary General, CGA Pakistan, according to a press release.

Pakistani athletes will be competing in boxing,swimming, gymnastics, and lawn bowls singles on Friday, July 24.

Trivia

The most successful Commonwealth Games for Pakistan were in 1962, Perth, where they won seven gold medals and one silver.

-fin-

“The truth is I’m not afraid of the punches that I sustain during the fight or training, now I enjoy them, it means I’m in the game,” Pakistan’s record-making boxer Fatima Zahra revealed what it feels like to pursue a passion-driven career in a society that deems it to be unsuitable for a girl striving to carve her niche on a global stage after entirely conquering the national circuit.

Fatima is currently preparing for the 2026 Commonwealth Games that will take place in Glasgow from July 21.

This will be her first international outing since the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 in November, when she found herself at a crossroads.

The 21-year-old has an angelic smile that can brighten up any room she steps into, and she has the ferocity that can stun her opponents when they least expect it in any ring.

Like she demonstrated at the Islamic Solidarity Games in November 2025, where she registered her first international win and also became the first Pakistani woman to win a medal at that event in the process, while opening the tally for her country on the medal table in Riyadh.

She stunned her Algerian opponent Hamda Melissa 5-0 in a one-sided -60kg quarterfinal to confirm Pakistan’s bronze medal at the games, a feat no Pakistani woman had pulled off before.

A desperate prayer

The journey to get an international medal was a long one.

Even though she remained undefeated at the national circuit in the featherweight category ever since she began boxing in 2021, it was like a desperate prayer that was answered after a rosary of losses at global events.

“I remember before going to Riyadh for the Islamic Solidarity Games I had a very heavy heart and a very distressed mind,” Fatima told Lost on the Desk.

“It was a point in my life where I was very disheartened because I hadn’t been able to deliver the results I had hoped for at the international stage.

“I felt people were critical of my performance and it was such a dark place to be in.

“But I also recognised that it was another opportunity and I must seize it. If it didn’t work out, I thought I might quit boxing at this level.”

Fatima became, like most champions do, self-critical while she looked for answers.

Nicknamed the Eagle for her agility, Fatima has been slowly cultivating a reputation as an icon.

She is pursuing a successful career in boxing as a woman with limited resources and a dire lack of infrastructure, but also bravely battling the pervasive social stigma attached to the sport.

She had momentarily doubted her own achievements that included her becoming an undisputed national champion for consecutive years, carving her place at the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers, which were also the World Boxing Championships in Italy, participating at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and qualifying for the Youth World Championship in Spain.

“I always remember this quote by my personal coach, Raheel Adnan, ‘one needs to defeat a champion to become one’, and I really took it to heart.

“So the moment I stepped inside the ring for my quarterfinal bout at the Islamic Solidarity Games, I knew what it could be.

“It was a perfect bout for me because everything just clicked. The referee began a countdown for my opponent just a few seconds into the first round; it was encouraging. My opponent was muscular and strong, and I just fought that bout with all the passion that I could muster in my being.

“My punches and combos were landing the way they should and I was in the flow, and when the judges gave the unanimous decision in my favour, I got very emotional. It had taken everything out of me to get to this point.

“I was over the moon, excited, and that win brought me so much hope and a sign that I was on the right path.”

Fatima recalled even Algerian boxers congratulated her, while most athletes in the Pakistani contingent were not fully aware of her achievement.

She almost made another record for Pakistan, but lost the semifinal against Uzbekistan’s Odinakhon Ismoilova 3-2 after a close fight.

It was a lesson that echoed the axiom she imbibed from her coach, “You only become champion after defeating champions”.

It was a bronze but she took it as a win that buoyed up her hopes for the future.

She fought freely and more confidently than ever before, and she overcame an internal barriers that were preventing her from a podium finish.

Never succumb to any pressure

Fatima’s best weapon is her right hand jab, and she made sure that she became adept at the 10-punch combinations during the practice to ensure that she can cause maximum damage to her opponent during the bouts.

At the Islamic Solidarity Games, she felt that she was able to execute it well in both of her fights.

“I made sure that I didn’t succumb to any pressure, and I performed with confidence against my Uzbek opponent; it was so close. A loss is a loss, but the fact that the result was a split one was a positive I took with me, and that I was able to execute my best combination,” explained Fatima.

The cleverest trick to find confidence

When asked what she does to mentally stay strong before her bouts, she said that mostly she listens to patriotic songs to get into the spirit, and often she would imagine herself as the victor, as a figure that has won a battle for her country, because ultimately, boxing, for her, is a way to serve her nation.

“This ritual helps me and gives me at least 80 percent of the confidence that I need to perform,” said Fatima with seriousness congealed around a hint of mischief.

But in all fairness, looking back at her performance, she feels that moving up to the 60 kg weight class made a huge difference for her as opposed to the previous 57kg.

Fatima is a tall girl by Pakistani standards, standing at 5 feet 6 inches; shedding weight to 57 kg had been an added struggle in the ring for her.

“My natural weight is 60 kg upwards, and at times competing in 57 kg events made me weak, be it national or international, but when I competed in 60 kg, I felt good, I felt like myself, and I feel I can turn this bronze medal from the Islamic Games to a gold medal in the international events to come if I can get more support from the government,” reflected Fatima.

How it all began in Sargodha

In the summer vacations of 2018, a young girl in Sargodha was taken by a sport, a passion that she felt she needed to pursue, much to the chagrin of her mother, but a delight to her father, karate black-belt Saqib Raza.

“It all started with a three-month vacation in 2018. I was in school, and first saw a game of boxing.

“It was something that just took over me, but at the time I didn’t know how to train for it. We have a small house, and at first it was just a fun activity, a time-pass, but I kept thinking about boxing, and my parents, especially my father, could see how interested i was in it.

“So he asked me if I really wanted to continue boxing seriously, and I replied positively. We started to train with my coach Raheel at his home.

“You must understand that we are from a working-class family. I didn’t have shoes or gloves. I couldn’t even afford my kit, but I started training because it felt good, and I must say that my coach gave me the shoes, the gloves, and the kit, which really helped. I trained there with my elder sister who is also a boxer now,” said Fatima with immense appreciation for her mentor and coach.

Social Isolation

But this did not bode well with Fatima’s relatives.

Fatima and her sister were going against the grain; they were girls, and in a patriarchal society, girls do not go out and fight. They do not put themselves in a position that may affect the way they look; the girls are not meant to be strong; they said; the girls needed to be more feminine and submissive.

Sadly, the social pressure drove Fatima to quit boxing for a year and six months.

“It was rough. Lots of bitter and cutting comments from my relatives came our way about my choice to become a boxer. It was all nasty and negative.

“As girls, we are told more about the things that we can’t do compared to the things that we can. I’m so grateful to my family, especially my father, who supported me through this time.

“Even now I see nasty comments under the TikTok reels that I post on my social media pages, and I had to learn it the hard way to ignore such negativity.

“But then I returned to it, because that was my calling, and it was harder not to box than to box,” recalled Fatima.

Fatima returned to the fray with more zeal than ever, as if she had built an appetite for it in her time away from the ring and the gym.

She relentlessly trained and took the gold medal at the DHA Boxing Championship in the 60-kg event; it was her first competition after her return.

From 2021 onward, Fatima has been a force to be reckoned with, utterly dominating the national championships and shining at the National Games.

“Once I returned, I made sure that I trained regularly, without missing a session, and I kept competing, and I’m happy that I still haven’t lost on the national level,” said Fatima, nonchalantly.

She used to compete for the Pakistan Air Force departmental team at the junior level.

It was coach Raheel’s help and guidance that had landed her the contract with an institution that could provide her with regular income and opportunities to compete.

Fatima was soon picked by Pakistan Army, one of the two biggest departmental sides in domestic sports in Pakistan. The other one is Wapda.

Major Irfan Younis, who is also the secretary general for Pakistan Boxing Federation, saw the potential in Fatima, and she delivered on her promise to do her best for the team.

“She is an asset for Pakistan, so far Pakistan Army have helped her and the Pakistan Boxing Federation is also ensuring her participation in all the international events, but we can only do so much.

“We need the support of the government to facilitate more international tours and training for her,” added Younis. “Fatima Zahra was hired by the Army, and they are helping with her training the best they can. They are also sponsoring her as well.”

For the last three years, she had been an Army athlete, and the Army provides her with facilities, a stipend, and opportunities to compete abroad.

“Fatima came to me in 2018, and I could see right away that she has the makings of a champion,” coach Raheel reminisced. “She was tall, had a strong build, and was so spirited that I had to train her.

“She was so dedicated to the sport at such a young age.

“When she came in, I tested her like I would test other kids. Sometimes I would leave the kids on their own after basic sessions just to see how well they take instruction and how long they stick around, because a lot of them just come in for fun or just to look cool, and very few stay for the long haul.

“I saw this hunger in her to improve, and I decided to train her. She has been an excellent athlete.

“Even after all these years, Fatima is so determined to improve that she came to my gym to train on Eid last month, before going to the Army/national camp for the Commonwealth Games,” said Raheel, who started his academy in 2018 after retiring from the game. He has his RBC Boxing Academy where he presently trains 50 athletes for the national circuit.

“Sargodha, my city, is more like a village and we had no academy for boxing, so I made it my mission to start one, and today we have several national gold medallists from my club, including Fatima.

“Fatima’s parents are my neighbours, and I must tell you that she is coming from a very humble background, but she is a star despite the odds stacked against her.”

Self-starter

Taking initiative is a superpower, and Fatima is blessed with it.

Her ability to train regularly on her own has served her well.

Even to a point of concern when she would go out at 2:00 am to run at a ground in front of her house just so that she could keep herself fit for boxing.

“It is very tough to be a girl in our society, but I really didn’t think about the risks and dangers of defying the norms when I was younger.

“I had been a tomboy for most of my life, and I took it upon myself to train during the time I couldn’t go to the gym, and I was getting a lot of hate from people.

“I would go out at 2:00 am and run so that no one could see me train. It was a time that I would disguise myself as a boy.

“In our society, it is absolutely necessary to become strong (mentally and physically), and I learned that quickly. For example, I had no fear that anyone could harm me even at 2:00 am which can be unsafe, but of course I stopped doing that once I got to train in a proper gym again, and I am not a tomboy anymore, but I do have a lot of passion for boxing.

“My mother sometimes hates it when I get hurt, especially the injuries on the face. I get cuts on my nose and around the eyes. I used to hide them from my family, but one can’t hide something like that for too long.

“Sometimes when I train and spar with boys I do pass out, all lights go out from my sight and I fall down after sustaining a punch, but at this point I enjoy it, it feels like I’m in the game, and I often tell my mother that Allah is my guardian, He will keep me safe, and that there is nothing to fear,” said Fatima, who has also returned to her education and began her Associate Degree Program with focus on sciences.

“I know I have the drive; I can see that, let’s say, my sisters depend on their coaches to train all the time, while I can do it on my own, I’m motivated on my own. “

Family plays a huge role in Fatima’s life and career.

She is the second eldest of four siblings, and has an older sister who boxes too, and the younger brother and sister are also aiming to become boxers.

She finds endless support in her father and a grounding presence in her mother.

“My family is very attached to me, and they have given me a lot of strength through thick and thin, from financial issues to social pressure, and everything in between,” she added, with the knowledge that her family is carrying her dream of putting Pakistani women’s boxing on the map too.

Tough lessons at international level

Fatima had to endure many ups and downs in her short but impactful career so far; she recalled that at the Asian Games 2022, she almost didn’t compete as there was a problem with her dress code few minutes before the bout, and she got confused over the rules at her debut at the games.

In that first and last bout, she lost to an Uzbek opponent who was world number two at the time.

She then regrouped her spirits to fight at the Olympic qualifiers in Italy, and there she met with disappointment as well in 2023. At 19, she faced South Korea’s Hyejeong Jin, 28, in the 57kg event, and the bout had to be stopped by the referee.

Fatima was one of the two women boxers who represented Pakistan in Italy at the 2024 Olympic qualifiers. The other one was Laura Akram, who is based in the United Kingdom.

She had more to prove in 2025, especially at the international level after she was declared the best woman boxer at the National Boxing Championship in February of that year.

In August, Fatima got the chance to visit China again with a robust Pakistani squad consisting of six women and seven men at the 3rd Belt & Road International Boxing Gala.

Improved technique

This was also a turning point as her personal coach, Raheel, finally saw the mistakes that Pakistani athletes were making. He sought a solution for them by exchanging notes with other coaches at the event that featured 26 countries.

“Fatima displayed an improved performance at the Islamic Solidarity Games because she finally understood how to respond to attacks from the opponent properly. Like other Pakistani athletes, Fatima, too, was great at offence, but the defence was weak.

“I figured out that one of the major weaknesses in our boxers was when we were at the Gala. Our athletes were struggling in their footwork and response, so I went to different coaches, and they, very generously, helped me understand more about coaching techniques. We had a 10-day training camp there too,” explained coach Raheel.

The improvement helped her to cement her top spot in Karachi at the National Games in December to wrap up the year on a high.

Eyes on international glory

Fatima’s focus is to win more international medals.

Like coach Raheel believes Pakistani boxers can win accolades at the Olympics, Fatima is eyeing the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games qualifiers.

“I’ve told everyone that my eyes are set on international events,” said Fatima, who is preparing for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

“My ultimate goal is the LA Olympics qualification, and I want to perform well at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games too.

“Among girls, we have so many amazing athletes. I believe we can do great things, but we need support from the government; we need money and exposure. And only with the proper help from the state can we get gold medals across the board,” said Fatima.

When it comes to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Fatima is expecting tough competition from the Indian boxers.

“I feel at the Commonwealth Games the ultimate competition would be the Indian team; if I beat their boxers then I will be among the favorites for gold,” she predicted.

She has been training at Army facilities for more than a month now.

She said the athletes are training in two sessions; one is for conditioning and the second one for technique, as the Commonwealth Games are scheduled to start on July 22 and they are racing against time.

As far as the competition at the Olympic qualification is concerned, she feels it would be harder this time compared to the Paris Olympic qualifiers.

“The competition would only become tougher, it was challenging in the previous qualifiers that I participated in, now European countries, others like the USA and India are all working very hard on their boxers, especially for the Olympic qualifiers.

“With all the new talent I’ve seen in the world events, it wouldn’t be easy to qualify for the LA Olympics, but it can be done with correct support and resources,” said the Pakistan Pro Green feather weight belt holder.

Commonwealth Prep in full swing

“For now, we are fully preparing her for the Commonwealth Games,” said Younis, the Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary, as he is also managing sports for the Pakistan Army.

“Our eyes are set on the LA Olympics for sure; we have made a roadmap for it, and we have requested the government for the support that is needed for maximum exposure and training.

“In connection with our preparation, the Pakistan Boxing Federation also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation around two months ago at the Pakistan Sports Board.

“The first stage of that MoU is that two Kazakhstan coaches have arrived on June 15 for a week, and they will be training the athletes but also the coaches. We have also invited top boxers of the country to participate in this camp.

“We are very hopeful for better results at the Commonwealth Games.”

Pakistan will be fielding Malaika Zahid in the women’s 54 kg competition.

Meanwhile, in men’s events, Qudratullah will compete in 60 kg, Sumama Rehman in 55 kg, and Afzal Khan will represent Pakistan in 65 kg.

The boxing competitions in Glasgow will begin on July 24.

-Fin-

Fatima Zahra’s profile at a glance

• Undefeated national champion in featherweight from 2021 onward.

• International achievements:

• International medal: Islamic Solidarity Games 2025, bronze in featherweight, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

• Participated in the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.

• Participated in the Olympic qualifiers round 1, Italy.

• Qualified for the Youth World Championship, Spain.

• Competed at the 3rd Belt & Road International Boxing Gala, China.

• Participated in a training tour for the World Olympic Sports Awareness, China.

• National achievements: Youth national champion held at Karachi, 2022.

• Youth national champion held in Quetta, 2022.

• Gold medalist in DHA 2nd Women Championship .

• Gold medal in KPT National Championship 2023.

• Gold medal in the 34th National Games in Quetta, 2023.

• Inter Department Championship, gold medal in Abbottabad, 2024.

• Gold medal in the National Championship in Karachi and declared Best female boxer in 2025 

• Gold medal at the National Games 2025 in Karachi.

• Professional Boxing Achievements: Pakistan Pro Green featherweight belt holder from the WBC boxing event in Islamabad.

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The story behind 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg’s upcoming visit to Pakistan is a heartening one.

And even more so, a victory for tennis ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi, who will welcome one of his sports heroes to the country as the President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation this week, when the ITF Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament series kicks off on April 26.

“I’m very, very excited, in fact, you can say I am ecstatic that Bjorn Borg is coming to Pakistan, it is a huge moment for us, I feel very proud that I am able to get him to visit Pakistan,” Aisam told Lost on the Desk.

“I think all the things that we are doing for promoting the game in Pakistan, from all the infrastructure development, to holding the international junior events, having the APT Challenger event last year, it was a big thing.”

Aisam made history for Pakistan as the chief of the federation by holding the first ATP Challenger event in the PTF’s history back in November 2025.

“Bjorn Borg’s son came to play that Challenger event, and he was really impressed with our hospitality, along with how we were able to conduct the event in the best way possible,” explained Aisam.

“ So I feel there is the word of mouth, and it spreads; he must have said good things about Pakistan and about the federation and how we conducted the whole tournament to his father.”

The 2010 US Open finalist added that he is holding two International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures events with $15000 worth of prize money, and the 22-year-old Leo is eager to participate in them, while his legendary father would love to see him play in the flesh in Islamabad as well.

“I’m holding two ITF Future tournaments where Leo Borg is again coming to play, and he messaged me that he is planning to come to Pakistan to play in them, and that his parents would love to come as well.

“He asked if I could arrange their visit, so I told him that I would love to arrange it and would love to have Bjorn Borg and his missus there as well.”

Aisam added that the Swedish maestro, who remains the only man to ever complete a Channel Slam, i.e., to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year three times, had congratulated him over the successful ATP Challenger in Islamabad as well.

“After the challengers last year, Bjorn Borg emailed me as well. He congratulated me for holding the Challenger, and for promoting the sport in Pakistan and in the world, and that he would love to come to Pakistan one day, and it is Allah’s favour that he is coming to Pakistan now,” said Aisam.

And to confirm the visit, Aisam said, Bjorn Borg directly spoke to him on the phone, too.

“I received the phone call from Bjorn Borg’s son a few days back, where he called me and then Bjorn Borg himself started to converse as well..He said, ‘Am I talking to the greatest doubles player from Asia?’ I was very humbled by that, I just jokingly quipped, ‘It is the wrong number then.

“I told him that it is an honour and a highlight of my career and life that a legend like him was calling me, so he told me that he would like to visit Pakistan with his wife to see his son play, and I told him that it would be the biggest event in Pakistan’s tennis history especially, and in terms of sports history wise as well, around 30-40 years ago Muhammad Ali also came to Pakistan,....I think after that, Bjorn Borg is going to be the biggest sports icon to visit us,” said Aisam.

He added that Bjorn Borg’s visit will also help improve Pakistan’s image on the international stage, and it will be a great step in sports diplomacy.

Sports diplomacy

The five-time consecutive Wimbledon singles champion, Borg’s visit will also help Aisam approach other legends to come to Pakistan as well.

“I’m very happy and excited and feeling very proud, and this will open many doors for Pakistan tennis and to promote tennis in Pakistan as well. There is a lot of hype already about him coming.

“And we are trying to promote it in the best way possible and can’t wait to have him here, it’ll be amazing for sports diplomacy as well, projecting a soft image of our country, which I have always hoped to do in my career,” exclaimed Aisam.

He said he is also planning to host women’s ITF Futures events as well.

“Going forward, I am also planning to hold some women’s futures as well, and Borg’s visit will now help us in asking other tennis legends to come to Pakistan as well. I’m really looking forward to it”, he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tennis Federation press release earlier included the details

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Borg will visit along with his family (wife and two sons). His visit is expected to significantly enhance the international profile of tennis in Pakistan and inspire young players across the country.

The PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, stated that the Government of Pakistan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, is doing commendable work in strengthening the country’s international standing by facilitating mediation efforts between Iran and the USA to help avoid a major global conflict, and that the tennis fraternity highly appreciates these peace efforts, adding that as a result of these initiatives, top global political dignitaries and international personalities are visiting Pakistan, reflecting the country’s growing importance on the world stage.

Footballers Kaleemullah Khan Junior and Saadullah are on a mission in Turkey; one is just 15 years old, and the other is 31.

They are siblings with a huge gap between them, but they share the same dream.

Their current goal is to secure a contract for Kaleemullah with Turkish top-flight club Fatih Karagümrük S.K.

But they are on the clock for the 10-day trials that began on March 27, 2026, with the hope of creating history by this coming week.

It will be a feat that can open doors for Pakistani talent at the UEFA level and, more importantly, change Kaleemullah’s life forever.

Kaleemullah became all the rage in November 2025 when he became the first Pakistani footballer to author an international hat-trick. He did it at the Asian Football Confederation Asian U17 Cup qualifiers against Guam, and it was also his international debut.

You can watch his hat-trick here

https://www.facebook.com/PakistanFootballOfficial/videos/-a-hat-trick-that-announced-a-new-starfor-pakistan-u17-that-moment-came-when-kal/775093631656621/

This performance is a testament to the nurture and care Saadullah has put in his brothers development as a player.

And if Kaleemullah manages to get the contract at a Super Lig club it will become a key moment for home-grown Pakistani talent.

This is ultimately a story of two players instead of one.

“Everything in Turkey is so different from what we are used to seeing in Pakistan,” Kaleemullah told Lost on the Desk on Sunday night from Istanbul right before starting his trial at Karagümrük.

“I just want to say that it is a huge opportunity, and I have worked very hard for this, and if we succeed, it will open the doors for other Pakistani players too.”

Kaleemullah travelled with his brother and official guardian, Saadullah, who assured the teenager trains each day and remains focused on his goal.

Even on their second day in Istanbul, Saadullah was looking for spots for Kaleemullah to train for a bit before the trails began the next day.

This eagerness to prepare is a vignette of the dedication and hopes riding on the time they have in Turkey.

Istanbul calling

FIFA-Licensed agent Orbis Sports Management is representing him.

Meanwhile, Saadullah arranged the tour to Turkey, while 35 percent support came from the Government of Balochistan, he explained, through sponsorship for Kaleemullah.

However, the invitation letter came to Kaleemullah through Hasham Ashraf, who is based in the UK.

“It is Allah’s blessing, really, that I am here, and I understand the hard work that went behind the scenes. I can only thank Hasham Ashraf and Saadullah bhai for availing this opportunity for me.”

Kaleem’s most striking characteristic is his sense of responsibility towards all the people who have supported him in his football journey.

It is a quality often found in people who mature faster than their peers, who have seen struggle and inherently understand the cost of dreaming big despite their circumstances, where resources and opportunities are limited and failing is not an option.

The teenager is humble enough to keep thanking his mentors, but opportunities like trials at a Super Lig club heavily depend on his talent and ability to perform well under pressure, as he did for Pakistan on his debut.

That  particular match against Guam not only saw Kaleemullah score goals, but he also managed two assists.

It was a match that primarily became memorable because of the way Kaleemullah performed.

In fact, most Pakistanis may not have seen the entire match, but they have seen the clips of the goals that the boy from an underdeveloped village of Pishin, Balochistan, had scored.

“I remember I just wanted to give it my all, it was my one chance to show what I could do, I had been on the bench for the entire tournament,” Kaleemullah recalled what was on his mind during that match.

“I kept thinking about all the people, my brother, my family, my coach, my friends, my teammates, everyone. When I stepped on the field for the first time, I wanted to keep my mind calm, and I was just looking for opportunities to score. I wanted to make sure that I was not a letdown in any way.”

The striker said that his priority was to play for the team, but at the same time, he was hungry to leave his mark on the field that would consequently ensure progress in his career.

“I was on the bench for four matches, and when I finally got the chance to play in the fifth match,  there was no way I was going to squander it.”

Kaleemulallh also revealed that he confronted his nerves or any pressure that he felt by having faith in his ability to just enjoy the game and stay present in the moment.

He believes that confidence is the key, and one must believe that one can get everything they want through effort and persistence.

“I think confidence is everything; we need confidence in our ability that we can achieve everything we put our mind to. There should be no room for doubt,” explained Kaleemullah, who is chasing a dream to play at the UEFA Champions League one day.

His confidence emanated from the fact that he had proven to be a valuable talent at the National circuit at first.

Last year, he emerged as the top scorer with eight goals at the U16 national championship for Pakistan Army.

It was a performance that led him to the Pakistan National U17 team trials.

Kaleemullah has been progressing steadily from the national to the international level.

This is the same kind of mentality that Kaleemullah is hoping to carry to his trials.

It is his first foray into international trials, and he will be drawing the inspiration from the reaction he received after the AFC U16 Asian Cup qualifiers.

“I remember the feedback I got,everyone was proud of me, I want to make people proud through my game, it is a great feeling to be able to do that,” added Kaleemullah, who idolises the former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.

But when asked what makes him love football so much that he is willing to commit to a grueling professional career at such a young age, he promptly replies, “Ever since I can remember, I have played football; it is the most consistent thing in my life.”

The making of a footballer

This answer reflects the amount of work Saadullah has put into Kaleemullah’s upbringing in the absence of their father who passed away in 2014 when Kaleem was hardly three years old.

Even for the trip to Turkey with Kaleemullah, Saadullah had to get court-attested documents to become an official guardian.

The legal process took place during the month of Ramadan before they headed to Istanbul in March.

“Kaleemullah is my youngest brother; we are six brothers altogether. I had made my international debut for the Pakistan U19 team in 2009, it was against Iran, and Kaleemullah was born just two years after that,” said Saadullah with affection in his voice and pride in his words.

“I just feel so lucky to be his brother. It is because of him that I am in Turkey as well, because of his talent and performance. Allah has been kind to us.

“I am sure that he will get that contract. I am hoping for that contract to be on the professional side for the club instead of the junior team. It would be such an achievement for Kaleemullah to be 15 and sign a professional contract. I am just extremely proud of him.”

Saadullah’s own career was ruined in a decade of instability due to political morass at the Pakistan Football Federation, which resulted in several bans from FIFA from 2015 to 2025 because of third-party interference.

The FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, which was installed in 2019 and remained controversial throughout its tenure with several leadership changes, finally managed to hold elections last year.

But the infighting among the officials killed the dreams, careers, and opportunities of talented youths like Saadullah, who proved their mettle in not only national but also international football despite financial, systemic, and infrastructural challenges.

Saadullah played in Hungary and the Maldives after representing Pakistan at the AFC Presidents Club with KRL in 2012 and 2014, and was even named among one of the most valuable players at the South Asian Football Federation Championship in the past.

“My playing years went to waste, and after a point, one starts to look for other paths. I studied further, and I also got a UEFA B License as a coach,” said Saadullah.

However, he said that even during his playing years, he noticed a special interest in Kaleemullah’s eyes for the game.

“Throughout my football journey, I made sure that I kept Kaleemullah engaged with the sport with me because I saw how he would tag along with me to every match I played locally, he loved to wear my kits, and I felt I could help him grow into a professional footballer,” explained the former K-Electric player.

So far Saadullah and Kaleemullah’s careers have remained intertwined even if they are playing against each other in local events.

In 2025, Kaleemullah played for Combined Hazara FC against a team managed by Saadullah, Spartax FC, in the Balochistan Chief Minister Gold Club, where he scored two goals in two matches that helped the team in clutch moments.

“He loved football even as an infant. While he was growing up, I made sure that I created an environment that could mold him into a good footballer. I got him a treadmill and other gym equipment at our house in Pishin, which is so far away from the city, it is a backward area without modern amenities, but I made sure that I could train to stay fit, and Kaleemullah gets what he needs to train as well.”

Great things happen when resilience meets ambition

Saadullah was a rare talent from Pishin; he was the first one from the area to emerge as a top player among those coming from far more competitive places like Chaman in Balochistan or at the national level.

“There was no one to guide me. I felt alone, and there was always this huge gap in knowledge and facilities, but when I saw how Kaleemullah wanted to play, I decided that I could be that mentor for him. And I felt like it was the perfect time when Kaleem was only four or five to start playing football with him. I think it was great because I got a very late start to the game, I never even played street football, per se. So starting kids early always benefits their game and technique.

“I also thought it was great that football from Pishin would continue to get representation at the national and international level after me through Kaleemullah,” reflected Saad from a perspective of a professional coach and a teacher.

He recalled how painful it was to send a nine-year-old Kaleemullah away to Islamabad, where the youngling joined POPO FC.

“I still remember when I put nine-year-old Kaleem in the Al Mustafa Coach (bus) that took him to Islamabad. Before this Kaleem never travelled alone, but I told him that he needed to go to Islamabad and find the club, that was his first test, he needed to go away from home and train among other players and prove himself, or else he would not become a professional footballer,” said Saad, who had received training at national camps from POPO FC coach Shahzad Anwar.

Saadullah said that POPO FC also took care of the education of its players, and mostly he trusted Anwar with his younger brother.

But the sacrifices were necessary to train, as Saadullah believes that players need to learn discipline away from home, and for him, his task was to keep Kaleemullah motivated during tough times.

“As an older brother, it has always been my job to make sure Kaleem doesn’t get distracted from his games and stays motivated. Sometimes he would cal in distress to complain about his coaches being strict or someone mistreating him. I had to toughen up to toughen him up at times; I had to ask him to practice patience and learn from his mistakes.

“One needs to be strict with kids like that, even before coming to Turkey for example, I was making sure that Kaleem was training, even on two hours worth of sleep in Ramadan, because one needs to commit, and professional football is more than just doing the basic techniques very well, it is about having a strong mentality and going the extra mile when others don’t,” said Saadullah.

Discipline is everything

While they are in Turkey, Saadullah constantly passes on his wisdom to Kaleem and reminds him to remain ambitious for opportunities at top clubs in Europe and not become content or comfortable at any stage of his career.

“My own football journey came to a halting end because of political issues and now my age is against me, so I can’t play, but now I think Kaleem has a chance to play for top clubs, so I am telling him to only focus on football training, live a simple life without getting distracted by irrelevant things.

“I tell him to be ambitious and not be content with what he has, footballers have a limited time to achieve their dreams,” said Saadullah and Kaleem agreed with him on it, understanding that to become successful he will need leadership skills, discipline, and patience.

On a parting note, Kaleemullah and Saadullah have only one request for the people: “Pray for our success and support us in this endeavor.

“It is a good and big opportunity for a Pakistan-based international footballer. We need prayers and love as we attempt to achieve what looks like an impossible task right now. This will change Pakistani football, positively, for good.”

Next tournament for Kaleemullah

On his return from Turkey, Kaleemullah will join the Pakistan U16 team to participate in the UEFA U16 Development Tournament in Kazakhstan.

The event will take place from April 24 to 30 and will feature teams from Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, and hosts Kazakhstan.

-Fin-

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The global fuel crisis is also hitting Pakistani sports events badly, besides other sectors.

The latest casualties of the global crisis now affecting Pakistani sports are that the National Road Race Cycling Championship has been postponed, and the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup qualifier between Myanmar and Pakistan would now be played behind closed doors in Islamabad.

Earlier, the country’s premier sports event, the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a franchise cricket event, was also forced to begin its season without the crowds in the stadium on March 26, and the venues were reduced to only two, with Karachi and Lahore hosting the matches.

The US/Israel war on Iran caused the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which provides 20 million barrels of oil and has been crucial to transporting the oil and roughly 20 percent of the Liquefied Natural Gas from the Gulf countries to the rest of the world.

“We wanted to hold the National Road Race Cycling Championship in Islamabad,” the Pakistan Cycling Federation President Syed Azhar Ali Shah told Lost on the Desk. “ You can see that many cricket activities were also forced to wind up, so we were also put in a position where we had to postpone the National Championship.

“Our event was to take place in Islamabad, while the cricket matches for PSL that were to take place in Rawalpindi were also cancelled and moved. So we are facing several challenges to continue with our scheduled sports event.”

The national cycling championship was poised to feature 120 cyclists from different departmental teams and cycling clubs of the country, featuring the top talent. It was scheduled to take place from April 2 to April 5, but ‘the decision has been taken in the interest of safety and proper event management’, announced the Pakistan Cycling Federation.

This race was crucial for cyclists like the Asian champion Ali Ilyas Jawaid. He added that the Pakistani athletes already face the dearth of local events and international exposure.

Azhar cited the security concerns, as the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, too, are affected by the regional geopolitical crisis.

“We can’t hold it in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, then we can’t do it in Balochistan either. Now, Islamabad is also off limits to hold the event.

“It is such a big setback for the cyclists and for us because this was the last event of the season.

“This is the peak time for us to hold road events because after this, the weather becomes too challenging with heatwaves that we can’t safely hold the events.

“We are now hoping to hold this championship in Gilgit in June because the weather there will be pleasant.”

Azhar added that the austerity policy from the government, with businesses also implementing cost-cutting measures, has caused sponsors to back off from the event, too.

Similarly, the Pakistan Football Federation sent out a notice on March 26 citing government policy as a reason to hold the AFC fixture behind closed doors and telling the fans who bought the tickets that they will receive refunds.

“In line with the Pakistan government’s policy of suspending gatherings of over 200 people due to the ongoing global and regional situation, which has led to the implementation of austerity and fuel conservation measures, the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Myanmar on March 31 in Islamabad will be played behind closed doors.

All ticket holders will receive refunds automatically through the original payment method used at the time of booking,” the press release read.

Earlier, the PSL also cancelled its opening ceremony.

Although the season will start on Thursday, the fans are urging the Pakistan Cricket Board to allow partial crowds at the matches.

In a country like Pakistan, where sports are an underdeveloped sector and require as much fanfare and facilitation to make sports a viable revenue-generating sector, the global fuel crisis and security concerns have been a let-down for the fans, athletes, and sports organisations alike.

But for now, when the world seems to be burning down thanks to the US-Israel-led wars that have already started to impact major international sports events like the FIFA World Cup, too, the fans and everyone engaged with sports can only hope for better days to come sooner rather than later.

The consequences of US-Israel invasion not only affect major sports events like the FIFA world cup, but also comparatively smaller scales ones like the PSL, the AFC qualifiers and the National Road Race Cycling Championship.

Other international events that have been called off include the Formula one races in Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, the AFC Champions League playoffs, tennis events like ATP tournaments in the Gulf and the US withdrawing from the FIH Hockey World Cup qualifier in Egypt.

For now, no one can anticipate how this war will affect the local and international sports calendars.

Playing football has been an art for the people of Chaman. They say when a child opens his eyes, football is one of the first things he sees. It is a city in Pakistan’s Balochistan province that shares a border with Afghanistan.

It has given Pakistan one of the best rivalries in the country in the form of Afghan FC and Muslim FC, clubs that have been run entirely by their communities.

the rivalry that lit up the Pakistan Premier League when it used to happen, the last edition of it took place in 2019.

Even now, crowds gather in Chaman just to watch football like nowhere else in the country.

This place has been a feeding ground for talent to make it to the national team and departmental sides, for example, Essa Khan and Kaleemullah, among many others, despite limited facilities and even little financial support for the footballers.

However, resilience becomes a curse and a burden when a community is left ignored.

And the Chaman football community is in dire need of attention.

They are bearing the brunt of a war that is hurting people on both sides.

It looks like no one can help the current and former footballers, including those who have seen better days, representing Pakistan internationally, from the economic difficulties caused by the vagaries of war between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which feels never-ending at this point.

Pakistan escalated the matter, according to Afghanistan, by killing around 400 civilians in an airstrike at a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul last week during the holy month of Ramadan.

Although the two states have decided to pause the war due to Eidul Fitr, a religious festivity celebrated by both Muslim countries.

Eid was just a ritual that needed to be performed sans celebrations in Chaman, as people do not have the means to survive and feed themselves, including footballers like Jahangir Khan, and others who have been working as labourers to manage their day-to-day expenses by crossing the border.

“Living a life of an international footballer was certainly a dream; it is something every child in Chaman is born with.

“We open our eyes and see football, sure it gave me some good years, but now, I have been facing tough a economic situation because the Pak-Afghan border has been closed for the last six months, we don’t know what to do, because we used to cross the border and sell some goods to get by,” former Pakistan goalkeeper Jehangir Khan told Lost on the Desk on a Ramadan night last week.

Everyone in his family plays football. He calls it a family trait.

Jehangir is a small-scale seller of cosmetics that he would take from Chaman across the Afghan border and make a living to support his family, which includes his six young children.

He pointed out that he has met many Afghan footballers across the border, too, who have been forced to work as labourers or sellers of different goods to survive the increasing poverty and the lack of opportunities in the region.

The goalkeeper represented the country at the FIFA World Cup qualifying rounds in 2007, before that he played for Afghan FC Chaman and later joined K-Electric, where he was forced to end his career because of the absence of domestic tournaments due to infighting among the Pakistan Football Federation officials, which led to several bans from FIFA from 2015 till 2022.

Jehangir, much like Jadid Khan, who has also captained the Pakistan U23 team and played for the country, had to see most of his playing years go to waste thanks to precarious Pakistan Football Federation affairs and the subsequent folding of departmental teams.

The departmental sides were providing a steady income to the players, making it the most professional version of football they could access within Pakistan’s semi-professional set-up.

“The thing is, there is no alternative for the players coming from places like Chaman.

“We spent our entire lives around football and tried to make a living through it, but when the departmental sides chose to let us go and dismantled the teams we were left with no choice but to pick up odd jobs, there is nothing much in Chaman, so this fight with Afghanistan and the closing of the border has made our lives so difficult,” Jadid added, he was dismissed by Sui Southern Gas Company in 2022.

“Most of our footballers, even those who have represented Pakistan like me internationally and played at the top national level like the Pakistan Premier League, had tough times after 2015.

“Now most of the footballers would cross the border and go to Afghanistan in the morning to sell some goods there and return to Chaman with goods they collected from there to sell in their local area, and that was how they were able to feed their families.

“But to carry on with their love and passion for football, they train and play in the evening after work, in the hopes of returning to the game properly in some capacity at some point in the future.

“The bottom line is that the footballers and athletes are in an extremely unfortunate situation because there is no alternative and there are no jobs or salaries, and whatever that they were trying to earn honestly with hard work is now out of reach because of the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Our entire system and economic activity were linked to the border, but now it is incredibly difficult to make ends meet.”

Jadid also pointed out that some footballers have left for other places to work as labourers, like brothers Hameed and Hanif Khan. They left for Dubai a month ago.

However, things are getting increasingly difficult for Jehangir, who has to take care of the family without any means of income.

While unemployment, and restrictions on the border are making Jehangir’s life miserable, he still tries to give back to his community by training players at Essa Khan Football Academy, where his expertise as a goalkeeper helps youngsters who might chose to pick up the gloves.

At times, like Jadid, Jehangir plays at local tournaments that offer prize money to participating teams, for example, the All Balochistan Gold Cup that took place in December 2025.

He played two matches in the tournament but sustained injuries and had to drop out.

“I am getting old now, but still I play,” said Jehangir, who is also the brother of former Pakistan football captain and once a top-scorer for Pakistan Essa Khan.

Looking back at his own career in football, he recounts how playing international matches and travelling fulfilled his lifelong dream, but then reality began to fracture once regular football activity was disrupted in 2015.

The 38-year-old does not receive any money from the academy, as it is solely run on a self-help basis, and the goal is to just keep the younger players engaged with football in his absence.

“I have travelled with the team to Bangladesh, Bahrain, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

“I felt there was so much scope from 2007 till 2014, but then it comes down to the fact that there are no proper pathways to sustain a decent life while pursuing football in Pakistan,” said Jehangir like a man who understands that sports has a potential to change peoples lives, but it is not changing the lives of the players in Chaman any time soon.

Where is Pakistan Government or even Pakistan Football Federation when the football community need it the most?

In fact, both Jehangir and Jadid understand that the phantasmagorical quality that football once possessed for them, both on the field and off of it, has vanished for them with the realisation that the passion for the beautiful game is not the answer to difficult times.

Football has been a most cherished means of coping with the harsh realities of life, but as it stands, it cannot supply the people of Chaman with the stable livelihood they desperately need now.

The Pakistan Football Federation and the Government of Pakistan must step up and implement programs for the well-being and growth of the athletes in Chaman while recognising how football is an intrinsic part of their identity.

“There is a lot of heartbreak. We do warn the youth of how limited the options for the future become if they only stick to football,” said Jehangir.

Jadid echoed Jehangir’s parting message as well, especially to the new and shiny Pakistan Football Federation, which elected Mohsen Gillani as the president after elections conducted by the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee last year.

It is to note that the history of the Normalisation Committee is extremely murky, with shady self-serving characters taking on the role of leading it since it was appointed by FIFA in 2019.

“We need the departmental system; there can’t be an alternative with the franchise system right now, because the franchise system does not guarantee anything beyond basics.

“We want to request the Pakistan Football Federation to help build our futures, and the futures of footballers across the country, by actually running a proper league and getting departments back to hiring the youth. That system gave us employment with labour rights and benefits,” said Jadid.

The Chaman players got a taste of a national tournament at the National Challenge Cup, where Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency competed in February, but behind the scenes, they are not paid any compensation as players, and it is not a proper department or club that can take care of the athletes because it does not have a proper backer or government affiliation.

It is only fair to expect the Pakistan Football Federation to at least reach out to the footballers in Chaman. So far, despite claiming that the body would keep an athlete-friendly, community-building approach, they have failed to even acknowledge or consider what footballers in Chaman are going through in recent times.

“We have not heard anything from the Pakistan Football Federation or local associations in Balochistan. Nothing has really happened for us since the new body has gotten elected, so we don’t know if they are even thinking of us,” said Jadid.

I am starting this new venture, Lost on the Desk, dedicating myself full-time to bringing the stories of Pakistani athletes and international ones too.

I am hoping that you watch this video and find love and strength like I did in the 20-year-old Qudratullah’s story.

I know the late-stage capitalism is kicking all of our behinds, but we can push back and live by not giving up on our passions.

Because that is one thing that e must do to resist an increasingly dystopian world.

I find hope in youth like Qudrat ever so often and that hope enters like a ray of light and wash over on all the dark corners, steeped in anxiety, depression, and cynicism.

“I was roaming around the streets when fate brought boxing to me,” exclaimed Qudratullah, one of the most underrated performers in the Pakistani sports arena in 2025, looking back at how he began boxing.

Little did he know that, as a 16-year-old at the time, his hard work would result in him becoming the Islamic Solidarity Games medal-winner in a matter of four years.

The 20-year-old took the bronze medal in Riyadh last month in the 55 kg event, but this was his second international medal.

He took his first international medal at the Belt and Road International Boxing Gala 57kg event that took place in China in August.

However, he wants more, his desire is to find his place at the LA Olympics.

It is not as far-fetched a dream given his career progression, so far.

Just this month (December 2025), Qudrat secured a silver medal for his departmental team, the Pakistan Army, during the National Games, where 13 other sides were competing.

PHOTOS COURTESY: QUDRATULLAH

But the success for the Pashtunabad resident of the city that has given numerous international boxers to Pakistan has been that of fighting odds in real life too.

Qudrat is a Pakistani youth who is following his passion in a society and a staunchly capitalist system that is designed to disempower him and keep him stuck in the cycle of poverty.

In a just world, a 20-year-old talented boxer who has won accolades for the country would not be working as a labourer or a line cook just to make ends meet. This alone makes his achievement at the national and international level all the more impressive.

Qudrat’s trajectory reminds us that a person is not what job they do, but what passion they pursue.

Qudrat is not only working against a system that is rigged against him from the get-go. But he is also a true representation of working-class Pakistanis that constitute around 83.6 million in 2024, according to the World Bank report, who have dreams bigger than this country is equipped to deal with.

He is, after all, also a part of the working-class demographic that contributes the most to society through the work they do. In his case, he is winning laurels through play too.

“I was just roaming on the streets, I was 16 years old then, I was looking for work, I was trying to make sense of our lives,” Qudratullah told Lost on the Desk during the interview that he made time for as he juggled the responsibilities between training regularly, keeping fit, and sharp for boxing competitions, but also working as a line cook at a local restaurant kitchen, where he makes parathas.

The medals and the success that Qudrat has gained are far from the glamour or the money that a boxer with accolades like his should have.

VC: Qudratullah, who is in blue trunks

He needs to work at least two jobs to make ends meet, take care of his family, and stay fit as a professional athlete.

He said that even now, two of his brothers work as labourers, and he has been a labourer for most of his life.

“I was working back then too, I was working at a hotel as a labourer there, but my coach and ustad (mentor and teacher) Moulavi Ishaq Muhammad noticed me, and he invited me to box.

“That was the luckiest day for me as boxing chose me, the sport gave me a greater purpose,” explained Qudrat, who trains at Al Muslim Sports Academy.

“I remember when I first went to the club, I just chose to show up and see what happened. I didn’t have the shoes or gloves, but my Ustad, Moulvi Ishaaq, was kind to me. He introduced me to the sport and gave me the gloves and shoes, and he took care of me.

“He is the reason why I am getting these medals, because he believed in me. He did everything for me, and he never charged fees for me, which was a massive help.”

But Qudrat also remembers how difficult it was for him to prove his mettle even at the club level with many talented boxers training there.

“It was a challenge, there were difficulties at home, we weren’t doing well and there was extreme economic constraints, so the home life was tough, but even at the club, I had to train harder and harder to prove myself, to show my teacher that I am learning and then there were older, senior boxers there too, who were my competition. So overcoming those difficulties was key for me. And somehow, I think due to my hard work and persistence, I managed to survive.

“It really was about survival, and it still is about survival.”

The hard work, fueled by the desire to make his life better, Qudrat made his national under-age debut in 2022 as he competed at the U18 and U17 National Boxing Championship in Karachi, where he ended up bagging silver medals in both U17 and U18 events to mark his arrival at the national circuit.

Qudrat then competed at the 34th National Games that took place in Quetta, representing Balochistan, later became a three-time All-Quetta champion in his weight category as well in the course of just two years, all the while working as a labourer when not training and competing.

This captured the attention of Major Irfan Younis of the Pakistan Army and the secretary of the Pakistan Boxing Federation, who helped him get a departmental job with the Army, and Qudrat made him proud by winning the gold at the 4th Inter-Department National Boxing Championship 2024, which featured the crème de la crème of Pakistani boxers.

But 2025 was truly Qudrat’s year as he was finally crowned the national champion at the 41st National Boxing Championship, and he managed to take the Inter-Services Championship gold medal too, along with international successes in China and at Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.

“It has been a good year, I know I competed well both at the national events, but also in international events, I gave a tough time to my opponents, like Cuban and Uzbek boxers in China, and these are the athletes who are training to compete at the Olympics.

“I feel I have the fight in me and the skill of the same calibre as them, but there is not much support for it. I joined the Army two years ago, and I can’t thank Major Irfan enough for it. He has helped me with international events, and we have delivered almost 100 per cent results if you look at it.

“I say 100 per cent because I have won two medals in both international events I was sent to.

“But the truth is that we need government support in terms of money and facilities along with expertise, we need the systems that can help us, we need stability,” said Qudrat, who craves for professional camps, international coaches and tours, and just having enough to solely focus on training for events without worrying about how to meet his day-to-day expenses on a shoe-string budget.

“I had my self belief, in China at the Belt and Road International Boxing Youth Gala we had competitors from 26 countries, and it was such a learning experience for me, it gave me confidence, and then I went to the Islamic Solidarity Games where 57 countries were competing at the event, so that was tougher, but I kept my faith that I could deliver. When push came to shove, I gave my all and fought, and survived in the ring, that’s what I did.

“I am just grateful that Allah blessed me with success and the medal.”

Survival is more of a skill than an instinct that Qudrat has mastered in an unstable economic and political environment, like many young boxers at his club.

He emphasized that many others come from humble backgrounds like his, boxers that have no money for gloves or shoes or kits, and yet they persevere.

He points out how poverty is a blunt force that actively stops youngsters like him from progressing in life and pursuing careers in things they are passionate about.

“There is so much talent in Pakistan, but poverty is a real thing; it simply comes down to feeding ourselves or sports, but still we give results, “ pointed out Qudrat, who has been promised Pakistani Rupees 2 million by the Pakistan Sports Board for his bronze medal in Riyadh but has not seen even a penny of it.

“My ultimate dream is to compete at the Olympics, but that needs a proper diet, and we need government support for that kind of preparation.

“Like right now, I have a job with the Army, but I also need to work as a labourer because I need to make ends meet and then save something for myself for a rainy day.

“I give half of my salary at home to my family, then there is half left for me to take care of myself as an athlete, take care of the expenses and then to save some, but it is not a lot of money that can help me reach that dream.

“However, I will do everything I can to compete at the Olympics and win a medal too.”

When asked if he has a special diet, he laughed and said he has no specific diet, but he has the hunger to get to the top. Even at the National Games in Karachi, a city that he visits often, he felt that the goal of boxers in Pakistan is to grow and beat the odds, in and outside the ring.

We asked him what the competition at the top level is like, especially when it comes to the rivalry between departmental sides, the Army and Wapda, he was quick to smile and say that boxers just want to have fun.

“It is all very friendly, and we have so much fun in the bigger events, we meet and it doesn’t really matter what happens in the ring, there is a lot of respect and sense of community among us, like the Wapda boxer who beat me in the final at the National Games, we were like brothers right after the fight, the aim is to grow at the end of the day,” explained Qudratullah.

Boxing as a coping mechanism for a community

Moulvi Ishaq reminisced about the first time he saw Qudratullah, “I saw him, and I thought he had that fight in him; he can become a good boxer.

“I saw him on a street, and I thought he should come to our club. When he showed up, I put him on training and gave him a week to see how he responds to the training.

“I was happy to see him take an interest in boxing, and he was eager to learn, he continued to improve with each sesssion.”

Ishaq has an eye for good boxers, and in the last National Championship alone, he had five boxers from his club who were competing and winning medals.

He has spent decades building and serving the community in Quetta as a boxer first and then as a coach.

“I have been boxing since 1990. I had been a boxer myself, and in a short span of time, I became the champion in Balochistan and took medals, but then I switched to coaching, and I opened my own club in 2001.

“I named it Red Dragon because I was inspired by Chinese martial arts, but soon I changed it to Al Muslim Sports Academy because people would often get confused by Red Dragon, and ask me a few times what the name meant.

“I think Al Muslim was simple enough for people to remember, and it helped,” said Ishaaq, who now has at least 120-130 athletes training with him.

He explained that he has three sessions of training each day, the first one starts right after Fajr prayers, then the next after Zuhr, and the third after Maghrib, which is where Qudrat was when we interviewed him.

Ishaq has a long commitment to the community, especially to the youngsters, who he feels need direction and resources to become stars.

Ishaq’s model of helping youngsters like Qudrat is simple; he charges money from those who come to his academy for recreation and fitness, and who can afford to pay fees because they are coming from well-to-do families.

The money he gets from the fees paid by the rich people goes into helping the athletes who need support.

“It is like a scholarship program. I pick an athlete and see how they do on the local, club level, then district level, and when I see they have the talent and potential to become better at boxing, I support them with everything. Many boys from my club have gone on to compete at the national and international level, and departmental teams pick them. So it is a breeding ground of future champions from Balochistan,” said the Wapda Wushu team coach.

He highlighted that the economic stability of the people of Quetta depends on the stability of the borders that Pakistan shares with Afghanistan, and often in times of political upheavals, it is the youth that suffers the most in his city, and athletes usually take up odd jobs to support their families because there are no other options for them.

In a precarious environment like that, he feels his academy can serve as a haven for the youth. Therefore, he carries on his mission because, through sports, there is a way out of volatile circumstances. He feels proud when he sees his athletes go abroad and win medals, like Qudrat and others, because it gives him hope.

“There is an alternative, sports can provide a life they deserve, at least it gives us that hope, and that is a very good reason to continue doing what we do,” concluded Ishaq.

Photo: PCB/REUTERS

It is easy to imagine Olympic record holder javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem being a cricketer, particularly a fast bowler, with his tall physique.

Still, if we must pick one cricketer who can become a javelin thrower, it would be Pakistan’s One Day International captain and fast bowler Shaheeh Shah Afridi, according to the world-renowned coach Terseus Liebenberg.

Arshad wanted to be a cricketer, it is a known fact, and one thing that he had told me back in 2018, right after he had bagged his Asian Games bronze medal, way before he became the international sensation.

He tried his hand at all the disciplines in athletics before setting his heart on being a cricketer; however, he dropped the idea once he understood that there was way more competition to get a place among the national team squad.

Also, he made the brave choice of abandoning the most popular and lucrative sport for javelin, because he knew he could pave a path for himself in it; it was a gamble, he knew he would either sink or swim, but he took the chance anyway, which in retrospect paid off spectacularly.

It is safe to say that cricket’s loss was the world javelin throwing community’s gain as Arshad ended up winning Pakistan’s first individual gold medal at the Olympics in Paris, and he did it in style when he made the record with a 92.97 m throw at Stade de France on August 8, 2024.

Terseus was there in Paris to witness Arshad’s throw while he was supporting South Africa’s Jo-Ane van Dyk, who went on to win the silver medal in the women’s javelin throw event.

Terseus had coached Arshad directly in 2022 and 2023 at Potchefstroom, South Africa, later he had been in a consultation role for the Pakistani athlete.

Do cricket and javelin throwing have any similarities?

During a conversation with the South African coach, if cricket and javelin throwing have any similarities, as he spoke of Arshad coming into the sport with a cricket background, he affirmed that there are similarities in terms of movement.

Photo: NEWS24

While Arshad could have been a great cricketer too, Shaheen Shah Afridi would make an excellent thrower as well.

“Arshad is blessed with a lot of talent, and it does make sense that he switched from bowling to javelin throw, because the run-ups are similar. He would have made a great cricketer if he wanted. I think… Shaheen Afridi can become a javelin thrower.

“We can take him and train him here in Potchefstroom, South Africa, because he is tall and has that strength and physique,” Terseus told Lost on the Desk during an exclusive interview earlier this year, while adding that he does see the Pakistani cricket team as a talented bunch, and praising the spinners in it.

In Pakistan cricket has been the most popular sport, while athletics has been a forsaken discipline that is only gaining more traction due to Arshad Nadeem.

But, surely, there is a lot more awareness about javelin throwing now, and more people are tuning in to watch javelin events like the World Championships and even Islamic Solidarity Games javelin event where Arshad Nadeem had most recently competed.

In your opinion, which cricketers do you think can make good javelin throwers, and which javelin throwers do you think have a potential for making decent cricketers?

Do drop a comment and share this post if you liked it.

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The pic is edited to protect the identities of the women.

"The situation is difficult from all sides," my friend and football referee/coach Maha Mohammad Shabat texted me from Jabalia Camp in Gaza.

Every day towards the evening I frantically wait for texts from her because, after each fresh genocidal offence by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)in the Gaza Strip, I look for her text just to know she is alive.

Every list I see online from Gaza of martyrs or injured I look for her name, praying not to find it, north that the ones that are there on the list are not precious.

Maha is a young woman who has been making a difference for the young boys and girls of Gaza and it was last August that I met her at the Discover Football festival with the theme Unseen Game less than two months before October 7, 2023.

The world has not been the same since October 7, Maha, my friend has not been the same either.

"Without sports, my life is worth nothing," she had written about her motto, and now it has been nine months that she has not touched the football and has seen many of her students getting massacred and/or left with amputations.

Maha represents the best and the brightest of women's sports as she lives in a place that has been, to be clear, labeled as the world's largest open prison. Despite the political, and geo-political violence that Palestinians endured over more than seven decades, Maha represents the best of the human spirit too because even in the most desperate of situations in the middle of a war, I can feel warmth, love, affection, and hope through her voice messages and texts she send me.

She even finds moments of joy and jokes about things as we try and pretend that we are not in the middle of a genocide of people who have to see their children, parents, siblings, and friends die, who have been displaced for more than nine months now.

Maha lost her brother and her cousin in the genocide, and just last month she said that she woke up to the horror and sound of their roof falling over them due to the bombardment. That attack had left her with an injured shoulder which she is still struggling with.

Meanwhile, lack of food, clean drinking water, and the grief of losing her beloved brother has left her stomach in such a bad shape that she is having trouble keeping anything in, but she has no means to continue the treatment due to financial constraints.

"Today, I went to see a doctor for my stomach. I did all the tests and treatments and by God, it cost me a lot of money. I still have some treatment left but I can't afford it,” she told me.

"I don't know the reason behind my stomach ache, since my brother was martyred, it's been about nine months.

"The problem is that some people tell me that it is because I am in shock and I am upset, and that it'll go away. But it has not gone away all this time."

But she added that it becomes increasingly difficult to take care of oneself as the Palestinians are dealing with loss every day witnessing more deaths or just hearing more news of the death of friends and family.

25 of Maha's family members are gone

"I am a resident of the Gaza Strip, from the north in Beit Hamoun. Since October 7, 2023, I have been moving every day from place to place searching for safety.

"There is no safety," Maha shared her story, as they were displaced just 10 days into the genocide starting on October 7.

"My family and I left Beit Hanoun for central Gaza. Then I was transferred again to West Gaza.

Then I was again moved to another school and then that school was bombed so we moved to another school. After that, we transferred back to North. One of these moves included coming to places from where occupation forces withdrew. But all the while we are searching for safety.

"The One who preserved my brothers and sisters and my brother's son. The fear of losing someone is difficult to live with. Losing someone is difficult. I lost my brother and cousin too."

Forced to die hungry or die while getting food

She explained that her brother and cousin were martyred on their to a bakery to get some food for the children of the family.

""There is the Al Sahaba area. My brother and my cousin were martyred as they were going to a bakery to get some food for our children.

"We lived in this house and then we went to a safety point in western Gaza, and the house in which we were living was bombed a second time. At home, 16 missiles were over our heads and we still got out. Thank God.

"Because of the martyrdom of a large family of 25 people, then the martyrdom of my brother and three cousins there are so many psychological effects on us. But life is just so difficult and making a living in the Gaza Strip is difficult."

Living on 245 calories a day

In another conversation, Maha cried that she had no idea what she and her family were eating or drinking.

It is a known fact that Israeli Forces have blocked all humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and in a report on July 10 2024 the United Nations experts said that famine has spread across Gaza, while many more children have been dying of malnutrition.

In April Oxfam reported that on average people in Gaza are forced to live on just 250 calories a day, which is less than even 12 % of an average adult's daily need.

Risking life for internet

In these difficult times keeping connections becomes imperative.

Just to keep the connection with the outside world Maha has to travel to a more unsafe place away from a shelter at a school where the internet is barely available.

She often risks her life to even carry on communicating with the outside world or in the hopes of finding her friends that are now lost, without any contact when the attacks became more intense and all of their homes got destroyed.

"This is the point where we open the internet," she sent a picture accompanying the text, the pictures showed a mound of debris. It looked like more houses were destroyed by the Israeli bombs. "A little while ago, the point next to us was bombed. But this is just a small example of destruction in Gaza."

But staying back is also not a choice and through communication, she hopes to let her situation be known and pray that some help can arrive to ease the burdens of war, as everything has become expensive.

"Alhamdulillah, the pain is a pain that lasts all night and all day, we search for water and carry it.

As for the food, thank God today I ate lightly. Yesterday I didn't eat anything," Maha spoke of agony with health issues and scarcity of food and water amid the genocide.

God willing, there is no safe place. I would lie if I told you that there is a safe place in Gaza.

"All the fear and terror is like [we see] in the movies."

Maha's dream now, like others, is to see the end of the war that has taken everything from them

"May God make things easy for us, God willing. I swear, I want the war to end soon. We are tired, we can't sleep or eat," she added.

Even the Eidul Azha came and went without much meaning too as Maha explained that they didn't even have clothes because their house was bombed.

"By God, we don't even have clothes, nor do my nephew's children.

"There was no Eid, even for the children. This was a sadness on its own

"We are living, but we are not living."

Flashback of the past keep the hope alive

Maha remembers her life before October 7 and her trip to Berlin where she was a part of the all-inclusive festival highlighting the unseen aspect of the game, especially when it comes to women and oppressed communities.

"They were sweet days in practicing sports, doing sports, and spreading women's sports in the Gaza Strip like the rest of the world.

"I wish it hadn't happened to us and our women."

Women's sports in Gaza

She says that after returning from Berlin she got back into her community and she had more ideas of making more clubs for women, however, all of that came to a shattering end in less than two months.

"I was at the conference in Berlin. I participated in football refereeing and after my return to Gaza, I was thinking broadly about the idea of women's sports in Gaza. To not deprive them of support and to open some women's football clubs.

"But the occupation came back again and deprived us of it, and some participating girls who wanted to become footballers were martyred and others had their limbs amputated.

What happened to the stadiums and sports facilities?

Maha said that almost all the stadiums in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed by the occupation forces with heavy bombardment over them. But the greater grief and struggle has been just the safety of the young children who want to play sports.

"There are these grounds where we want to engage children into activities and maybe we can help them as they are witnessing so much violence too, but I have not gotten the soul to go down to those grounds," she explained as the Israeli Occupation has taken away all the strength. She appealed to world organizations if they could help the children with their trauma and mental health too, just to get back on the field even before thinking about training properly.

"The occupation forces have demolished everything, the stadiums, and clubs, and I hope one day we can rebuild these grounds and stadiums once the war ends, to build clubs that can embrace women's sports especially, but even that would take lots of effort," Maha added as sadness kept popping up from the cadence of her voice, that she has been struggling to remain motivated.

"We have prepared for this event for a year, all the blood, sweat, and tears just to get to this championship," tells the three-time Asian Powerlifting Champion Twinkle Sohail on her way to South Africa with her medal-winning sisters Sybil Sohail and Veronika Sohail.

The terrific trio will be representing Pakistan at the Asian-African-Pacific Combined Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championship in South Africa which began on July 5 and will go on till July 13.

Video Courtesy: TWINKLE SOHAIL

The sisters left for Potchefstroom in search of more medals this year, both Sybil and Veronika had been making waves earlier this year and there is more to come.

"This is such an important event for us, it is almost like a mini world championship with powerlifters coming from three continents, in fact only just Europeans and Americans aren't present, there will be 20-25 countries competing here," Twinkle told this Correspondent and she was en route to South Africa. "It is a huge event that will feature almost 200 participants here.

"The goal for the three of us is to make Pakistan proud," Twinkle tells this correspondent. "Veronika will fight in the 57 kg junior event, on July 10, Sybil will compete in the 52 kg open category, while I will be representing the country in the 84 kg event on July 11."

The sisters train in Lahore each day without fail, come heaven or hell, and their record of numerous international medals shows their dedication.

However, that is not enough and Twinkle has a request to make. In a country that is obsessed with cricket and where patriarchal values still reign supreme the Sohail sisters represent the best Pakistan could offer.

⚡Beating cultural taboos in highly patriarchal society⚡

WONDER WOMEN: The victory sign they make is a victory for women’s sport in Pakistan (Veronika(L), Sybil (M), and Twinkle (R). PHOTO COURTESY: TWINKLE SOHAIL

They are showing their mettle not just on the field but off the field too with their parents' unflinching support to advocate and practically fight for their daughters to pursue careers in a field often associated with men and mostly women are hindered by the traditional and cultural taboos. 

"I just want to ask the Pakistanis to please support us, if we can train this hard and do everything we can to make the country proud in this field. I want Pakistan to support us now and in the future too, support us fully and open-heartedly. We want to win so many more international accolades for Pakistan and serve the country in the best way possible. Support is the the least they can do."

Twinkle further added that the sisters are excited, optimistic, and even emotional that they are getting this opportunity to compete for Pakistan at the mega event.

"We are very hopeful that we'll win medals for Pakistan," said Twinkle as all three of them have already conquered the Asian turf in their categories. They are now setting their eyes on bigger events.

"We are capable of winning. Each time we prepared well, Allah rewarded us with respect and won with medals.

"Even though we are travelling right now, through Kenya Airways, we are getting ready for the event, we can't wait to train there, we are thinking about it even as we are getting on the plane. We want to land and get on with the mission."

Sohail sisters reached their destination on Monday.

Pak women's team will compete in Equipped Powerlifting on 13 July. They will return home on 18 July at Lahore Airport after the concluding championships.

Photo: AFP/FILE

Karachi 

"It is going to be my first Diamond League, I've never competed in this before," Pakistan's main medal hope for the Paris Olympics javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem admitted humbly. 

Arshad will become the first Pakistani athlete to compete at the Diamond League which is no mean feat, come Sunday at the Meeting de Paris. 

It is amazing, though, that Pakistan's most brilliant athlete to put the country on the world map in athletics has never competed in even one of the Diamond League annual series.

The Diamond League Legs are the elite athletic invitational meets held every season in different countries, spread across five continents where participating athletes get points and have a chance at qualifying for the final.

The final of the series leg at the end of the season is where the Diamond League Champion in their chosen discipline gets crowned.

The Diamond League this year is in its 15th edition, and Paris meet is the eighth leg with the prize money but it is also the first time that it will see a Pakistani in action. 

It is a feat that has been beyond imagination for the longest time for the athletes from the country where cricket is held supreme.

The disparity is so great that the facilities available to the athletes in other sports like track and field are negligible or less than satisfactory at best.

However, the Mian Chunnu boy with a big dream will break another ceiling despite being a Pakistani at the international level. 

Arshad is taking this event as a test for himself as he is coming back after almost a year since his incredible feat at the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest, where he not only became the first Pakistani to win a silver medal at the event but also booked himself a direct ticket to Paris Olympics with a throw of 87.82 metres. 

In that event too he was coming back from his knee injury. But injuries have been Arshad's constant companions, he competed and broke the 90-metre barrier at the Commonwealth Games 2022 with an elbow and left knee injury. 

The Paris meet is a starter while his main focus remains the Paris Games. 

"The Paris event will be a test really, I've just recovered from an injury you see," Arshad told this correspondent. His goal is to end Pakistan's 32-year Olympic medal drought.

The 27-year-old had gone through a laser procedure in England to recover from his earlier injury in the right knee in December just seven months away from the Olympics. 

He began training in February with his coach. 

The damage to his knee was bad enough for him to withdraw from the Asian Games as he had already achieved his target of directly qualifying for the Olympics, that too for the second time. "This time I picked up an injury right below my right knee, on my calf, it was a muscle strain just three-four days before Eidul Azha. So that became a bit of a concern because my aim is the Olympics, and hopefully a medal in it too. 

"So I had to change the plans because of that injury, which occurred due to the hot weather we have and lots of sweating and sometimes dehydration too, so lots of things to be careful of. 

"I wanted to compete at an event in Finland before coming to Paris. But we had to skip that due to my recovery, while the way to Paris has been quite long due to travelling between countries." 

Arshad received a multiple entry visa for the Schengen region, and his main country happened to be the Netherlands from where he was to travel to Finland first, and then to Paris,  and even by dropping Finland from the schedule, the travel time from Lahore to Paris had been exhausting. 

"I am adjusting here in Paris now, the weather is far better than what we had back home, so I am enjoying training in that," the Tokyo Olympics finalist explained. 

He trained mainly in Lahore with his coach Salman Butt using local facilities to prepare for his international comeback. 

Arshad’s is a hero’s journey each time where he needs to pick himself up from various drawbacks, many systemic ones like lack if facilities, for the most part of his training he had to make do with limited equipment and then to top it off, the injuries.

Aim bigger than oneself 🎡

Arshad is giving his all for the country, but there is also a part of him that wants to achieve the Olympic medal for his children too.

The young father of three speaks proudly of his only daughter and the eldest child who leads her younger brothers to pray for his success.

"My children, they are a joy," Arshad the family man speaks with a cadence that reflects gratitude and love.

"They are too young to understand. I've just spoken to them before speaking to you. They keep saying that they are praying for my win. It is also because their mother, my wife, tells them to… to pray for me often too, but they understand that I am away a lot and I am doing something. I really want to win the medal for them too."

🤸‍♀️Competition boosts confidence 

Arshad said that his goal for preparing the campaign at the Paris Olympics always included a few competitions before the Games. 

"I just wanted to get competitions, because I need to know where I stand. The participation in competitions can give me such confidence because I'll know what I am capable of," illustrated Arshad. "Like how I am going to fare. Mentally and physically I am in a good place right now. I am feeling strong." 

🎯🔥Eyes on the prize at the Paris meet 

"I am in full control now, and the recovery from the muscle strain injury has been well so far," said Arshad, who arrived for the event between Thursday and Friday.  

"Here at the Diamond League meet I'll, definitely, try to do my best and see what happens. My target is the Olympics, of course, but I want to give my best and make sure I am being careful too because I am coming at the back of an injury, and somewhere in one's mind that stays, the fact that the injury was there. It lingers in my mind too.  

"If there were no Olympics and just the meet, then I would've probably strategised things differently but for now the aim is to test the waters. See where I am standing. So far I am all good, my technique is good. 

"The meet will have eight top competitors and we'll each get six attempts so I'll see how I'm feeling, there are one, two, three, attempts and further, so there is enough space to test." Arshad always believes that he competes with himself first and others second.  

"I compete with myself, I focus on my performance during the competition, but still one thinks about others. I think at the Paris meet my main competitors will be Germany's Julian Weber and Czech thrower Jakub Vadlejch," said Arshad. 

On the other hand, it will be an India versus Pakistan scenario with Kishore Jena also competing at the meet. Arshad's friend and on-field foe Neeraj Chopra has opted out of the event and chose to concentrate on his training for the Olympics without this practice meet of sorts.

While Arshad had been battling with injury challenges, Chopra had gone on to bag a silver medal at the Doha Diamond League and won gold at Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland last month.

Training in South Africa 🤸‍♀️🏋️‍♂️🧘‍♀️

Earlier this year Ashad also reunited with Terseus Leibenburg for five weeks in which he said they worked on the run-up and the technique earlier this year. 

"I feel I improved my run-up, and we worked on the technique. I can feel the difference with the changes we made, and hopefully, we'll see what the results look like after this event." 

Arshad also trained with Leibenburg before going to the Tokyo Olympics for two months, but he says this time, he has been more aware of technicalities and expertise. 

"When I went to train with him first I was really just caught up with a lot of things, I was paying attention to everything, and I got to learn a lot, I was more aware of how to go about my training and I learned more specific things from him," said Arshad. 

Arshad and Butt are in touch with Leibenburg through online channels and have been receiving guidance regularly. 

☀️Heat wave challenge

Meanwhile, training in Pakistan has been a challenge due to the weather conditions as the country has been experiencing heat waves with temperatures and humidity soaring on a regular basis.

The former cricket explained that they had to make sure he protected himself from heat while training and changed their schedule a bit.

"We trained at cooler times, we tried because the heat was bad, but also I am a Pakistani, I'm born here, so I have to get used to these conditions. The excessive sweating made things worse so we tried to go for times that are a bit cooler.

"I am glad I came to Paris right now, people are nice in the weather too, so the body gets some respite from that kind of weather."

🌟Message for support🌟

In his message to the athletics fans and Pakistani, he reiterated the need for support and prayers. 

"I just want to request for support and prayers. Please, keep me in your prayers for this event and also the Paris Olympics because that is the ultimate dream that I need to fulfill for Pakistan. I want to win that Olympic medal for the country after 32 years."

"I missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Games after a close fight, but it was just not my day back in 2021, but now I can feel that things can be different. So, pray for my success, please." 

A version of this post appears here.

I hope your morning/evening/afternoon/night is going great. Whenever you are reading this.⌛

Welcome to Lost on the Desk edition #2.

Today's big stories so far will be Colombia holding Brazil 1-1 in Copa America, Turkey continuing their fairy tale run at the Euro 2024 after defeating very 'entertaining' Austria 2-1, Dutch triumph over Romanians, while on Wimbledon front Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, Swiatek all going strong.

Special smiles as One Jabeur makes it through to the next round too.

Another piece of news that's captivating is the suspension of Mali Captian Hamari Traore for inciting rebellion against the national federation.

Some more interesting bits are swimmers being excited about new 'rocket suits' that they will be donning at the Paris Olympics.

A great tennis-snooker cross over when Novak Djokovic asks Ronnie Sullivan for snooker tips.

The major tournaments happening at the moment are Euro 24, Copa America, Wimbledon, and preparations for the Paris Olympics.

I hope you enjoy the news in this letter 📜, feel free to discuss anything from/about the news here, if I've missed something too.

Do check the trivia, quote of the day and in general .

Thank you and stay awesome!! ❤️

💭 Quote of the day

PHOTO: GETTY

Montella: Everyone gave a bit extra in terms of their soul, and for a head coach, you know that there are matches such as these and you can only win matches such as these if there is a soul within the squad. There's that belief, that conviction. I could go on all night, but I saw all of those attributes, and that makes me very proud.

Turkey Coach Vincenzo Montella on defeating Austria at 2024 Euro. REUTERS

❓ Trivia

Who is the current world number on in women's squash?

A. Nour ElSherbini

PHOTO: GETTY

🦸Total Legend

Marta named in Brazil's squad for sixth Olympic Games

PHOTO: GETTY

MEXICO CITY. Brazil's all-time leading scorer Marta will play in her sixth Olympics after being named in the squad for the Paris Games unveiled on Tuesday by coach Arthur Elias.

The 38-year-old striker, who also played at her sixth World Cup last year in Australia, said in April she will retire from internationals at the end of the year.

Marta was part of the Brazil team that claimed silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Games. "She brings a lot to the table, she's the greatest athlete of all time," said Elias of the Orlando Pride player.

"She's playing well, she deserved to be on this list. "Marta's performance, especially after she came back to play for her club, which is fighting for the top spot in the U.S., her behaviour, with or without the ball, makes all the athletes see her as an example." REUTERS

Rest In Peace

PHOTO: AFP

Former high jump world champion Freitag found dead in South Africa

GDANSK. South African former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag has been found dead with gunshot wounds having been missing for two weeks, South African media reported on Tuesday.

According to Netwerk24, Freitag, 42, was found in the grass near a cemetery in Pretoria West, South Africa, and police are treating the case as murder.

He was reported missing after he was last seen leaving his mother's house with an unknown man late on June 17.

Freitag won world championships at youth, junior, and senior levels. He took gold in the high jump at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. He jumped a personal best 2.38 metres in 2005. REUTERS

'Thorough review' after teenage badminton player's death

KUALA LUMPUR. Badminton's governing body on Tuesday announced a "thorough review" following the death of a promising Chinese teenager who collapsed during a match.

Seventeen-year-old Zhang Zhijie was playing at the Asia Junior Championships in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta on Sunday when he suddenly fell to the floor.

Indonesia's badminton association (PBSI) and Badminton Asia said he was promptly rushed to hospital but died that night having suffered a cardiac arrest.

However, there were questions about the medical response at the venue. Footage showed it took 40 seconds from when Zhang collapsed for any kind of help to arrive on the court. AFP

💪🏾Rebellion

PHOTO: Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport

Mali captain Traore suspended for inciting 'rebellion' in team

DAKAR. Mali captain Hamari Traore has been suspended for inciting "rebellion" after the publication of a letter criticising the national federation, an official told AFP on Tuesday.

Real Sociedad defender Traore was among the international players who published a letter last month deploring "poor management" and lack of professionalism among officials in recent years.

The players threatened to boycott the national team if the federation fails to remedy the crisis that, they say, Malian football is going through.

The letter, which was addressed to supporters, caused a stir in Mali. Traore failed to respond to a summons to appear before a disciplinary commission. AFP

The Cross-Over 🎱🎾

PHOTO: PA

Right on cue as Djokovic seeks snooker tips from 'Rocket Ronnie'

LONDON. What does a seven-time Wimbledon champion do when he sucks at snooker?

Call seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan of course.

Novak Djokovic admitted Tuesday that he is a huge fan of Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan, so much so that he invited the Englishman into his Centre Court box to see him open his All England Club campaign.

"I watch snooker just because of him. I watched when I was a kid," said Djokovic, 37.

"My father loved watching snooker. I only watched Ronnie. Whenever he would not play, I would not watch.

"It was really nice to have him around. Hopefully we're able to play some snooker because I'm really bad at snooker. I'm OK at pool or billiards, but snooker, I tried it twice, and it's really, really tough." AFP

Young Gun 🔫

'I made it': Thai 12-year-old fulfils Olympic skateboard dream

PHOTO: AFP

BANGKOK. Five years after stepping on a skateboard for the first time, Vareeraya Sukasem will represent Thailand at the Olympics, aged just 12.

Vareeraya, known by her nickname "ST", booked her place in dramatic fashion at a qualifying event in Budapest last month and will be one of the youngest athletes in Paris.

Feeling "pressured and stressed" going into the event -- the last chance to qualify -- Vareeraya failed to make the final round and headed to doping control thinking her hopes were dashed.

"While waiting for my testing result, my mom messaged me: 'ST, you made it to the Olympics!'," she told AFP. "I was so happy. I screamed in the middle of the room because I was so happy that I had really made it." AFP

🏊‍♀️ Olympic swimmers hope for winning edge with latest 'rocket suits'

SYDNEY. Swimmers battling for gold at this month's Paris Olympics are banking on the latest cutting-edge swimsuits to be their secret weapon in the pool.

Competitors believe innovation can be the difference in a sport where medals are sometimes decided by a mere fingertip, although the evidence is not so sure.

Driven by technology that takes inspiration from space travel, Speedo has produced a new version of its Fastskin LZR Racer suit billed as its most water-repellent ever.

Claiming to provide a sense of "weightlessness", it will be worn by top swimmers including Emma McKeon from Australia, the American Caeleb Dressel and Britain's Adam Peaty as they strive to shave every hundredth of a second off their times.

"It's my own little Speedo rocket suit," said freestyle and butterfly ace Dressel, who won five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in an earlier version of the suit. AFP

⚽Brazil held by Colombia in Copa America, to face Uruguay quarter-final

PHOTO: AFP

SANTA CLARA.Colombia came from behind to grab a 1-1 draw with Brazil on Tuesday, ensuring their qualification to the Copa America quarter-finals as group winners.

An equalizer from Daniel Munoz in first half stoppage time was enough to earn Colombia a share of the spoils after Raphinha had fired Brazil into the lead with a sublime 12th-minute free-kick at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

The result means Colombia advance to the knockout rounds as winners of Group D, where they will face Group C runners-up Panama in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday.

But Tuesday's draw means Brazil will face a titanic showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday against arch-rivals Uruguay, winners of Group D with a perfect record. AFP

Costa Rica beat Paraguay but exit Copa America ⚽

AUSTIN. Costa Rica scored two early goals to beat Paraguay 2-1 in their final Copa America Group D match on Tuesday but failed to move into the quarter-finals after finishing third following Brazil's 1-1 draw with Colombia.

Colombia finished as group winners with seven points while Brazil also advanced as runners-up with five.

Costa Rica return home with four points while Paraguay exit after three losses. "This was a very tough group. We were playing against Brazil and Colombia, two of the four favourites to win the Copa," Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro told reporters. REUTERS

⚽ High-energy Turkey march on to last eight after Austria triumph

LEIPZIG. "Turk ahead, Turk forward", words from a Turkish patriotic song, and proudly displayed on a banner by the Turkey supporters at Leipzig Stadium, and their team took those lines to heart to beat Austria 2-1 and advance to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

With Turkey deprived of their suspended captain Hakan Calhanoglu and defender Samet Akaydin, due to a mixture of ill discipline and a card-happy referee in their last game, Austria came in as favourites. Austria coach Ralf Rangnick's high press, aggressive football was the talk of the tournament, but from the off it was Turkey who took the game by the scruff of the neck and never let it go. REUTERS

Malen doubles up as Dutch beat Romania to reach Euro 2024 quarters ⚽

MUNICH. The Netherlands swept into their first European Championship quarter-final since 2008 as Donyell Malen scored twice in a 3-0 win over Romania in the last 16 on Tuesday.

Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch an early lead but they were unable to convert pressure into a crucial second goal until the Liverpool forward set up Malen with seven minutes remaining in Munich.

Romania were gritty but outclassed, lacking the quality to punish their opponents' profligacy before Malen added his second on the counter in stoppage-time.

The victory put the Oranje on course for a quarter-final clash with Turkey or Austria, who beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the group stage.AFP

⚽♔ Brazil creates King Pele Day in honor of football icon

RIO DE JANEIRO. Brazil football legend Pele will be honored in his home country by a commemorative day baptised "King Pele Day", reported Tuesday's edition of the government gazette.

Considered by many the greatest footballer of all time, Edson Arantes do Nascimento -- better known as Pele -- won three World Cups with Brazil and scored more than 1,000 goals over his storied career.

"King Pele Day" will be held on November 19 -- the date on which the striker scored his 1,000th goal in a match for boyhood club Santos at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana Stadium in 1969. AFP

🎾End of an era as 'disappointed' Murray withdraws from Wimbledon singles

LONDON. Two-time champion Andy Murray called time on his Wimbledon singles career on Tuesday after the "extremely disappointed" former world number one lost his battle to recover from back surgery.

However, the 37-year-old, who plans to retire after the Paris Olympics, will still experience an emotional farewell at the All England Club when he plays doubles with brother Jamie later in the tournament.

Murray underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his back last month, a procedure he described as "not insignificant".

The operation left him without full feeling in his right leg and placed in peril his final appearance at the tournament. AFP

Alcaraz, Sinner eye Wimbledon third round 🎾

LONDON. World number one Jannik Sinner takes on Italian compatriot and former runner-up Matteo Berrettini for a place in the Wimbledon third round on Wednesday.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka also target places in the last 32.

Alcaraz faces a man who once defeated him in a Grand Slam qualifier while Osaka's rival is the daughter of an American billionaire.

AFP Sport looks at three matches to watch on day three of the tournament:

Italian men's tennis has rarely been stronger, with the country boasting five players in the top 50 while the nation swept to Davis Cup glory last season.

Ten Italian men started the singles tournament this year at Wimbledon. AFP

🎾Swiatek downs Kenin in battle of Grand Slam champions

PHOTO: AFP

LONDON. Only once in her 21 previous Grand Slam appearances had Iga Swiatek perished in the first round - at Wimbledon in 2019.

When this year's All England Club draw pitted her against fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin, there were fears that Swiatek could be in for another short, and not very sweet, stay at the grasscourt major.

After all, the Polish top seed has yet to find her comfort zone on grass, having never reached a final on the sport's slickest surface, and she was also up against a rival who had toppled crowd favourite Coco Gauff in the opening round just 12 months ago.

Despite some jittery service games early on, with the first four games featuring nine break points and both players dropping serve, it took Swiatek just 79 minutes to safely negotiate past the potential first-round banana skin. REUTERS

🎾Jabeur blasts her way into Wimbledon second round in under an hour

LONDON. Ons Jabeur blasted her way into the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday evening with a 55-minute, 6-3 6-1 demolition of Japan's Moyuka Uchijima.

The Tunisian 10th seed, runner-up for the last two years, made light work of her world 68th-ranked opponent, breaking her immediately to take a 3-0 lead before each held their serve for the rest of the first set.

Jabeur then cranked up the power a notch in the second set, while simultaneously shutting down the angles as she snuffed out Uchijima's game. As the game drew to a close the Japanese player, making her first appearance in the main draw in south London, looked skyward a number of times in obvious frustration. REUTERS

🎾Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round

LONDON. Andrey Rublev crashed out of Wimbledon at the first hurdle on Tuesday, going down in four sets to Argentina's Francisco Comesana.

The Russian sixth seed battled back after losing the first set but lost momentum early in the third and went down to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) defeat.

Rublev, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, struggled for consistency on his serve and was broken four times in the match by his opponent, ranked 122nd in the world.

The 26-year-old, who smashed his racquet repeatedly against his knee in frustration in the third set, is the highest-seeded men's player to exit the Championships so far.

Comesana will face Australia's Adam Walton for a place in the last 32. AFP

Defending champion Vondrousova out with a whimper 🎾

LONDON. Marketa Vondrousova became the first defending Wimbledon women's champion to make a first-round exit for 30 years as she was bundled out by Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday. REUTERS

🚲Pogacar 'hits hard' in Alps to reclaim Tour de France lead

VALLOIRE. Two-time former champion Tadej Pogacar soloed to victory in stage four of the Tour de France in the Alps on Tuesday to reclaim the overall leader's yellow jersey on the first major mountain challenge.

Massed ranks of rowdy cycling fans, many of whom had camped overnight, packed the roadsides cheering the riders all the way up the magnificent beyond category Col du Galibier mountain.

Slovenian superstar Pogacar's triumph was built by his UAE Team on the ascent with three teammates still with their leader when all the 2020 and 2021 champion's rivals had been stripped of their shattered sherpas. AFP

No over-age players in Japan Olympic men's football squad

TOKYO. Japan named no over-age players in their Olympic men's football squad Wednesday, with officials admitting they could not secure club releases for Europe-based stars such as Liverpool's Wataru Endo.

Olympic men's football is an under-23 tournament, but up to three older players are allowed in each squad.

However, clubs do not have to release players as the Games take place outside the official FIFA international windows.

Japan team director Masakuni Yamamoto said it had been "difficult" to call up Europe-based players, even under-23s such as Real Sociedad attacker Takefusa Kubo.

Endo, 31, had been touted in Japanese media as a potential call-up along with Borussia Monchengladbach's Ko Itakura and Sporting Lisbon midfielder Hidemasa Morita.

Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk to play Champions League in Gelsenkirchen

BERLIN. Ukrainian football side Shakhtar Donetsk announced Tuesday they will play next season's Champions League games in Gelsenkirchen, home of German team Schalke, the next stop in the club's exile from their war-torn country.

Shakhtar were forced to leave their home ground, the Donbas Arena in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, after Russian-backed separatists seized control of the region in 2014.

After Russia's full-scale invasion, Shakhtar took their European fixtures to Poland in the 2022-23 season, but with Legia Warsaw qualifying for Europe in 2023-24, the Ukrainian club played at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion. AFP

Malawi striker Chawinga joins Lyon women

LYON. Malawi captain Tabitha Chawinga has joined Lyon in the French women's first division, the champions announced on Tuesday.

Striker Chawinga, 28, was the league's top goal-scorer last season while on loan at Paris Saint-Germain from Chinese outfit Wuhan Jianghan University.

Chawinga, who spent the previous season on loan at Inter Milan, scored 19 times in 21 league games for PSG as she became the first player from Malawi to play in the French top-flight.

"It was an ambition of mine to sign for a great club," Chawinga said in a Lyon statement.

"I hope to be able to inspire other people from Malawi to follow in my footsteps by playing here, in Europe," she added having signed a deal until 2027. AFP

🍃AC-free ambition for Paris Olympic village melts away

PARIS. Although designed to be eco-friendly and free of air-conditioning, the Paris Olympic village will be fitted with 2,500 temporary cooling units when athletes arrive later this month, organisers said Tuesday.

The complex in a northern suburb of Paris was built as a showcase of environmentally friendly technology and has a geothermal cooling system that uses cool water pumped from deep beneath the ground.

But the lack of air-conditioning has long worried some national Olympic teams, with athletes concerned about missing sleep, particularly given the summer heat waves suffered by Paris in recent years. AFP

🏏England cricket great Boycott reveals second cancer diagnosis

LONDON. Geoffrey Boycott has been diagnosed with throat cancer for the second time and will undergo surgery, the England cricket great announced Tuesday.

Boycott, 83, was told last week the cancer had returned, having been previously treated for the illness in 2002 with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The former opening batsman is now set to have an operation to remove the cancer in two weeks' time.

In a statement to Britain's Daily Telegraph, for whom he is still a columnist, Boycott said: "In the last few weeks I have had an MRI scan, CT scan, a PET scan and two biopsies and it has now been confirmed I have throat cancer and will require an operation. AFP