Athletics in Pakistan

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Athletics in Pakistan
Governing body Athletics Federation of Pakistan
International competitions

Athletics in Pakistan is overseen by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) which organizes athletic tournaments in Pakistan. Athletics in Pakistan encompasses a diverse range of competitive sporting events, including running, jumping, throwing, and walking disciplines. The country's athletics landscape is dominated by four primary categories: track and field, road running, cross country running, and racewalking.

Contents

History

Many Pakistani athletes have excelled in various global events including the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships. [1]

The 1950s and 1960s are often regarded as the Golden Age of Pakistani athletics, with Abdul Khaliq, Ghulam Raziq, Mubarak Shah, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Nawaz, Jalal Khan, Allah Ditta and Muhammad Ramzan Ali achieving various milestones. [1] In the early decades, Pakistanis held many Asian records including the Asian 100 m and 200 m record held by Abdul Khaliq. [1]

Other notable athletes include Muhammad Younis, Muhammad Siddique, Mirza Khan, Ghulam Abbas, Nadir Khan, Aqarab Abbas, Muhammad Sharif Butt, Khwaja Muhammad Aslam, Muhammad Sadaqat, Muhammad Fayyaz, Abdul Aziz, Abdul Malik, Mohsin Ali, Mehboob Ali, Banarus Muhammad Khan, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rashid, Zafar Iqbal, Nusrat Iqbal Sahi, Norman Brinkworth, Muhammad Youssef, Allah Ditta, Muhammad Ayub, Muhammad Yasir and Liaquat Ali who got prominence at either Asian or International levels, winning gold medals for Pakistan. [2] Haider Ali is Pakistan's most successful para-athlete, holding the distinction of winning the country's first ever Paralympic gold, silver, and bronze medals. He won a silver medal in the long jump in 2008 and a bronze in 2016. He switched to discus throw, an event in which he won a gold medal in 2020 and a bronze medal in 2024. His achievements have made him an icon in Pakistani sports and a source of inspiration for many. He is the first and only Pakistani to have won four medals at the Paralympic Games. [3] [4] Female athletes have also represented Pakistan at the international level, including Shabana Akhtar, who was the first Pakistani female athlete to participate at the Olympics. Among Pakistan's notable women athletes are Naseem Hameed, Najma Parveen, Sadaf Siddiqui, Rabia Ashiq, Shazia Hidayat, Faiqa Riaz and Sumaira Zahoor.

Pakistan has hosted several major international athletics events including the 1989, 2004 South Asian Games and is scheduled to host the 2026 South Asian Games. International events such as the Lahore Marathon also take place in the country. Pakistan also hosted the 2025 SAAF Cross Country Championships on 23rd February 2025 at Fatima Jinnah Park, Islamabad. [5] [6] [7]

Arshad Nadeem, javelin thrower and Pakistan's first Olympic Gold medallist in athletics. Arshad Nadeem Budapest 2023 (cropped).jpg
Arshad Nadeem, javelin thrower and Pakistan's first Olympic Gold medallist in athletics.

In recent times, Arshad Nadeem is the reigning Olympic champion in Men's javelin throw with an Asian and Olympic record throw of 92.97 metres (305.0 ft) at the 2024 Summer Olympics. [8] He became the first Pakistani to qualify for the finals of any track and field event at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships.

In 2023, he became the first Pakistani athlete to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships, a silver. In 2022, he also created a Commonwealth Games record with a throw of 90.18 m and became the first ever athlete from South Asia to breach the 90m mark. [9]

National Championship

National Athletics Championships is held annually by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan. [10]

Major international medallists

CompetitionAthleteMedalEventYear
Olympic Games Arshad Nadeem Gold medal icon.svgJavelin throw2024
Paralympic Games Haider Ali Bronze medal icon.svgDiscus Throw - F372024
Gold medal icon.svgDiscus Throw - F372020
Bronze medal icon.svgLong Jump - T372016
Silver medal icon.svgLong Jump - F37/382008
World Championships Arshad Nadeem Silver medal icon.svgJavelin throw2023
Commonwealth Games
Arshad Nadeem Gold medal icon.svgJavelin throw2022
Muhammad Nawaz Bronze medal icon.svgJavelin throw1966
Muhammad Iqbal Bronze medal icon.svgHammer throw1966
Ghulam Raziq Bronze medal icon.svg120 yards hurdles1966
Ghulam Raziq Gold medal icon.svg120 yards hurdles1962
Jalal Khan Silver medal icon.svgJavelin throw1958
Muhammad Iqbal Silver medal icon.svgHammer throw1958
Muhammad Ramzan Ali Bronze medal icon.svgLong jump1958
Ghulam Raziq Bronze medal icon.svg120 yards hurdles1958
Muhammad Iqbal Gold medal icon.svgHammer throw1954
Muhammad Nawaz Silver medal icon.svgJavelin throw1954
Jalal Khan Bronze medal icon.svgJavelin throw1954

Notable performance at Summer Olympics

Athlete(s)EventGamesResult
Arshad Nadeem Men's Javelin Throw 2024 Paris 1st place Gold medal icon.svg (92.97m) OR
Arshad Nadeem Men's Javelin Throw 2020 Tokyo Final (5th place - 84.62m)
Bashir Ahmed, Mohammad Sadaqat, Mohammad Afzal, Muhammad Fayyaz Men's 4 × 400 metres relay 1988 Seoul Semi-Final
Muhammad Iqbal Men's hammer throw 1960 Rome 12th place in Final (61.79m)
Abdul Malik,
Muhammad Ramzan Ali,
Ghulam Raziq,
Abdul Khaliq
Men's 4 x 100 metres relay 1960 Rome Semi-Final
Ghulam Raziq Men's 110 metres hurdles 1960 Rome 4th in Semi-Final heat
Abdul Aziz,
Muhammad Sharif Butt,
Abdul Khaliq,
Ghulam Raziq
Men's 4 x 100 metres relay 1956 Melbourne Semi-Final
Ghulam Raziq Men's 110 metres hurdles 1956 Melbourne Semi-Final
Abdul Khaliq Men's 200 metres 1956 Melbourne 4th in Semi-Final heat – Stands in top seven athletes
Abdul Khaliq Men's 100 metres 1956 Melbourne 4th in Semi-Final heat
Muhammad Iqbal Men's hammer throw 1956 Melbourne 11th place in Final (56.97m)
Muhammad Aslam,
Abdul Aziz,
Muhammad Shariff Butt,
Muhammad Fazil
Men's 4 x 100 metres relay 1952 Helsinki Semi-Final

Total medals won by Pakistani athletes in major tournaments

CompetitionGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Olympics 1001
Paralympics 1124
World Championships 0101
Commonwealth Games 33612
Asian Games 14131340
Islamic Solidarity Games 1113
Asian Championships 3339
Asian Indoor Championships 0112
Asian Cross Country Championships 0112
Total23242775

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Golden Age of Pakistani Athletics: The 50s and the 60s | Sports | thenews.com.pk". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  2. Zuberi, Anwar (2006-11-16). "Pakistan's golden past in athletics: Asian Games in perspective". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  3. "Haider Ali makes history by winning Pakistan's first-ever gold medal at Tokyo Paralympics". Dawnlocation=Pakistan. 2021-09-03. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  4. "Haider Ali puts Pakistan on top of the podium for first time ever". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  5. https://lcci.pk/pakistan-makes-history-at-the-south-asian-cross-country-championships-with-unprecedented-sweep/
  6. https://radio.gov.pk/24-02-2025/pakistan-team-wins-saaf-cc-championships-2025
  7. https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/pakistan-dominate-south-asian-cross-country-championships-with-double-gold/ar-AA1zGzCY
  8. Topping, Alexandra (2024-08-08). "Arshad Nadeem throws his way into history for Pakistan with javelin gold". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  9. Desk, The Bridge (2022-08-08). "Watch: Arshad Nadeem becomes first South Asian to breach 90m mark". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. "AFP to conduct two national c'ships in Sept, Oct: Sahi". 15 July 2021.