Boxer Fatima Zahra will precede javelin giant Arshad Nadeem in Pakistan's bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games medals
Fatima is creating history for Pakistan, while Arshad will be aiming to repeat it
Fatima Zahra will be preceding Paris Olympic record-maker Arshad Nadeem in the 2026 Commonwealth Games competition on the night of July 31 in Glasgow.
The entire nation, or at least those who care about non-cricket sports, will have their eyes glued to the screen as the 22-year-old boxer Fatima will take on Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh in the 60kg semifinal bout, a test she must pass in order to carry on her fairytale run, where she is fighting to turn her bronze medal into silver.
If she wins her semifinal, she will become the first Pakistani woman to compete at the final of the Games.
“Pray for me that I win; that is my request to all for now,” Fatima told Lost on the Desk from Glasgow.
Her bout will be at 11:00 pm Pakistan time, while Arshad Nadeem will begin his title defense at the javelin throw final an hour and 15 minutes later, at 12:15 am in a very windy and chilly Glasgow.
Fatima’s quest for gold
Fatima, also known as the Eagle, became the first Pakistani woman to secure a medal in boxing for Pakistan at the Commonwealth Games on July 28 when she defeated New Zealand’s Jordan Wilson on unanimous decision.
This was her second historic feat at the international stage as she also bagged a bronze medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games in November, making her the first Pakistani and a Pakistani woman to reach that level at the event.
Now she is authoring a whole new chapter for Pakistan women’s boxing, which has been often neglected in the past.
The Sargodha-based pugilist is eager to win gold and not just settle for a bronze or silver.
“We are hopeful for a gold medal; she has the potential to win it all,” Fatima’s team manager Major Irfan Younis told Lost on the Desk from Glasgow just hours before her bout.
“Fatima is so much more confident after her quarterfinal win, and she is working very hard, and she is in a very good physical condition to take on any competitor. We are praying that Allah grants her this victory.”
Younis also added that her bout will be between 11:00 pm and 11:30 pm Pakistan time, should any of the preceding bouts end earlier than expected.
He also said that the weather in Glasgow has been good for Fatima.
“The weather is very clement, and the boxing sessions have started for the day. We are very positive that Fatima can seal her spot in the final,” he added.
Fatima’s win in the semifinal will guarantee a silver medal for Pakistan; no other Pakistani athlete has managed to give a medal-worthy performance at the 2026 Games so far.
Even if she loses, she will secure a bronze medal.
Similarly, Fatima’s personal coach and mentor Raheel Adnan, who has been in contact with her from Sargodha, said that it will be a thriller and a treat to watch.
“I think it will be a very enjoyable fight because both opponents have contrasting characteristics.
“Fatima’s right hand is solid, and she has the advantage of good height, while the Canadian opponent is southpaw and very agile. But I am very hopeful that Fatima will win this fight,” said Adnan.
The fight for Pakistani women’s boxing
The Pakistan Olympic Association secretary and member of the Asian Boxing Board of Directors, Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, added that Fatima’s achievement at the Commonwealth Games has been a boost for Pakistani boxing as a whole, and especially a leap forward for women’s sport.
“I met Fatima, and she is very confident and feels very encouraged with the results after her quarterfinal win; she is not afraid at all,” Mahmood revealed. “I don’t think she is under any pressure; she is enjoying the success, and this will translate into her performance in the ring as well.”
But more importantly, Mahmood highlighted the magnitude of this achievement for Pakistan boxing on a grand scale.
“We all know that the professional standards in international boxing are much higher than what we see in Pakistan, but we persevered, and we also saw the results of pushing for women’s participation in boxing at the Islamic Solidarity Games last year, where Fatima also took a medal.
“It has been a long and tough journey for women’s boxing in Pakistan,” he added, as he is also the former Pakistan Boxing Federation President and worked diligently to first put the office in order after the federation was subjected to a power struggle among its previous office-bearers.
And then worked on the consistency of national events, which was not there, and the boxers were without direction during the chaos within the ranks of the Pakistan Boxing Federation.
“When I took over boxing in 2018, boxing was absolutely dead; nothing was happening in terms of following the proper constitution or procedures, and the national championship was not held regularly. Boxing was finished, and there was no concrete path ahead,” explained Mahmood.
The problem was also with the attitude, as previously women’s boxing was only considered a tick-box activity.
But in order to get results at the international events, things had to change drastically from the grassroots level to national camps.
“I aimed to start things from scratch, and that meant we had to start women’s boxing properly. Within a short period of seven years, we have achieved this result through regular competitions. Like reintroducing inter-university boxing, and then the regional and national championships, club championships, the goal was also to regularly and consistently hold these events for the athletes to have a platform, a pathway.
“I can confidently say that boxing is on the rise in Pakistan compared to other sports.”
Mahmood also highlighted that these results are great considering that the government does not support the boxers.
“Boxing has been completely ignored by the government; despite that fact, it is rising far more swiftly than other sports,” he concluded, as Fatima’s journey represents the resilience of Pakistani boxers who are giving their best despite financial, institutional, and infrastructural limits.
Arshad remains Pakistan’s main medal hope
Meanwhile, Mahmood believes that Arshad Nadeem is Pakistan’s main medal hope.
The defending champion holds the Games record, which he made in the 2022 Birmingham edition; he threw his spear to a 90.18m mark.
Earlier, on July 30, at the qualifying round, Arshad finished in seventh place out of 18 competitors. He also posted his season-best result of 78.63m.
The top 12 throwers out of 18 progressed into the final.
None of the throwers met the automatic qualification criteria of 84m.
“I have qualified for the final, thanks to the prayers of all of you; now pray for me some more that I perform well for Pakistan and win the final on July 31,” he said in a video message on his social media pages.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage was leading the pack with 82.84m; Grenada’s Anderson Peters was second with 81.29m.
Peters was also Arshad’s podium fellow at the 2024 Paris Olympics; he took a bronze medal there.
South Africa’s Douw Smit was third with a throw of 80.64m.
Meanwhile, English thrower Ben East was fourth, a Paris Olympics silver medalist, and Tokyo Olympics champion Neeraj Chopra was fifth with 79.61m.
Pakistan’s other thrower, Muhammad Yasir Sultan, did not qualify, but managed to have a season-best throw of 74.36m for 14th place in Glasgow.
India will have all three of their throwers among the 12 finalists, making them the most represented country in the men’s javelin event overall.