Pakistan celebrated 10 gold medal victories after the 16th Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.
The nation’s golden tally was boosted after Safeer Abid, a cyclist from Karachi, achieved first place in the 10km time trial race at the games’ cycling event. His 10km time was clocked at 23 minutes and 02.02 seconds. This marked his inaugural participation in the World Games, an event he had been training for the past two years.
“I am driven to secure more medals for Pakistan in future international competitions,” stated Safeer.
Pakistan also tasted success in the 500m trial race, with Madeeha Tahir securing a silver medal and Amina Arshad earning a bronze medal with timings of 1 minute and 14.15 seconds and 1 minute and 16.82 seconds, respectively.
In the Bocce team event, Pakistani players Mahnoor, Simran Mahesh Lal, Jamilur Rahman, and Farhan Aslam achieved a silver medal, triumphing over Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Farhan Aslam and Mahnoor also took bronze medals in the men’s and women’s singles categories, respectively.
Before these victories, Muhammad Luqman and Habibullah brought glory to the nation before these victories by earning gold medals. Luqman outpaced his competitors in the 100m race with a timing of 15.21 seconds and claimed a silver medal in the long jump. Meanwhile, Habibullah excelled in powerlifting, winning gold in the 83-kilogram deadlift and securing silver medals in the squat, bench press, and combined weight categories.
Additionally, Mirwaiz secured a silver medal in the 3,000m race, completing the distance in 10 minutes and 11 seconds.
Pakistan’s hockey team triumphed over Paraguay 3-2 in the game for third place, securing a bronze medal. This marked the first time Pakistan has participated in hockey at the Special Olympics.
