Pakistan Face Early Exits in Badminton, Fencing and Swimming at Asian Games
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
NAGOYA: Pakistan’s athletes faced several early exits in badminton, fencing and swimming at the 20th Asian Games on Friday, with competitors unable to advance in their respective events.
Larosh Knocked Out in Badminton Singles
Pakistan’s Muhammad Ali Larosh was eliminated from the men’s singles badminton competition after Kazakhstan’s Makhsut Tajibullayev secured a narrow 2-1 victory in a 49-minute first-round match.
Tajibullayev won the opening game 21-11, but Larosh responded strongly to take the second game 24-22, forcing a deciding game.
The third game was closely contested, but Tajibullayev eventually won 24-22 to book his place in the next round.
Larosh had earlier also exited the mixed doubles event alongside Olympian Mahoor Shahzad.
The Pakistani pair faced South Korea’s Kim Jaeh Yun and Jang Hajeong, who secured a straight-games victory 21-1, 21-10.
The Korean duo controlled the match from the beginning, winning 42 of the 53 points during the 20-minute contest.
Pakistan Exit Men’s Team Foil
Pakistan’s men’s team also suffered elimination from the fencing competition after losing 45-12 to China in the round of 16 at Aichi Sky Expo Hall F.
China quickly established a 5-0 lead in the opening relay and extended the advantage to 25-3 after five relays.
Muhammad Waqas, Abdul Musawir and Baryal Khan represented Pakistan during the contest, while Muhammad Yaseen Khan was also listed in the team.
Musawir produced Pakistan’s highest individual tally in the final relay, scoring 12 touches, but China had already built an unassailable advantage.
China eventually reached 45 touches compared with Pakistan’s 12 to progress to the next stage.
Mishael Finishes 25th in 50m Butterfly
In swimming, Pakistan’s Mishael Aisha Hyat finished 25th among 28 competitors in the women’s 50m butterfly heats.
She recorded a time of 30.95 seconds at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
China’s Zhang Yufei topped the heat in 25.57 seconds, followed by Japan’s Rikako Ikee in 25.98 and China’s Wu Qingfeng in 26.00.
Hong Kong’s Yeung Hoi Ching secured the final qualifying position among the listed qualifiers with a time of 27.39 seconds.
Hamza Asif Records 30.47 Seconds
Pakistan’s Hamza Asif finished 35th out of 40 swimmers in the men’s 50m breaststroke heats.
He completed the race in 30.47 seconds.
China’s Qin Haiyang was the fastest swimmer in the heats with a time of 26.87 seconds. Japan’s Shin Ohashi finished second in 27.00, while China’s Liu Junjie placed third in 27.08.
Iran’s Amir Motaee recorded 27.28 seconds, while Kyrgyzstan’s Denis Petrashov finished in 27.45.
Hong Kong’s Mak Sai Ting Adam clocked 27.71 seconds, followed by Vietnam’s Pham Thanh Bao at 27.72.
Kazakhstan’s Aibat Myrzamuratov completed the listed qualifying places with a time of 27.86 seconds.
Pakistan’s athletes will continue competing across other disciplines as the Asian Games progress in Japan.
