Pakistan Begin Asian Games Hockey Campaign with 9-0 Win
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Pakistan made an impressive start to their Asian Games campaign with a commanding victory in hockey, while the country faced a difficult opening day in swimming.
Pakistan’s men’s hockey team got their Asian Games campaign off to a strong start on Sunday, defeating Thailand 9-0 in their Pool B match at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan.
Pakistan dominated the contest from the opening whistle and maintained control throughout the match, leaving Thailand with little opportunity to create a serious attacking threat.
Ahmed Nadeem Scores Hat-Trick
Ahmed Nadeem was Pakistan’s standout performer, scoring three goals during the match.
Moeen Shakeel opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Ammad Butt doubled Pakistan’s advantage four minutes later.
Nadeem added his first goal in the 20th minute, while Sufyan Khan scored twice from penalty corners within a two-minute period to give Pakistan a commanding lead.
Pakistan continued their attacking pressure after the break.
Rana Waheed scored in the 31st minute, followed by Abdul Hanan Shahid three minutes later.
Nadeem then completed his hat-trick with goals in the 37th and 43rd minutes, completing Pakistan’s nine-goal victory.
Difficult Start for Pakistan Swimmers
Pakistan had a less successful opening day in swimming, with all three of the country’s competitors failing to progress from their respective heats at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
In the men’s 100m freestyle, Hamza Asif finished second in his heat with a time of 53.97 seconds.
Mongolia’s Ninjin Enkhbaatar won the heat in 53.41 seconds. Hamza recorded 25.19 seconds at the halfway point but could not maintain the same pace during the final 50 metres.
He eventually finished 35th among 43 swimmers overall.
Women’s Swimmers Miss Qualification
Pakistan’s Hareem Malik competed in the women’s 50m breaststroke and finished her heat in 36.52 seconds.
Mishael Aisha Hyat also failed to advance after recording 37.02 seconds in her heat.
Hareem finished 22nd overall, while Aisha was placed 24th among the 25 swimmers competing in the event.
Pakistan Boxers Learn Their Opponents
The boxing draws were also conducted on Sunday, setting up the opening bouts for Pakistan’s competitors.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Fatima Zehra will begin her campaign in the women’s 60kg category against Tajikistan’s Mijgona Samadova.
In the women’s 51kg division, Maria Rind received a bye in the preliminary round and will enter the competition at a later stage.
Pakistan’s men’s boxers also learned their first opponents. Sumama Rehman will face Tajikistan’s Meroj Sufijonov in the 55kg category, while Irfan Khan is scheduled to meet South Korea’s Gichae Kim in the 90kg division.
With hockey providing a strong opening result and competitions in swimming and boxing still underway, Pakistan will look to build momentum across the remaining Asian Games events.
