Pakistan Karate squad grabbed first position by defeating strong India in the team Championship final besides winning seven gold medals, four silver and four bronze medals in the South Asian Karate Championship to stand first overall at the points table of the South Asian Karate Championship played at New Delhi, India.
---- Pakistan top Championship with 7 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals
The 17-member Pakistani Karate squad including six female players gave stunning performances in various categories in the first South Asian Karate Championship, coach Khalid Noor told newsmen on phone from New Delhi here on Wednesday. National qualified and SAF gold medalist coach, Khalid Noor disclosed that Pakistan claimed the seventh gold medal after defeating India in the Team Kumte final in jam-packed indoor hall in New Delhi.
Sri Lanka took six gold medals, four silver and six bronze medals, India, the host, remained at third, Afghanistan stood fourth while Bangladesh and Nepal got fifth and sixth positions respectively. He disclosed that Benish Akbar recorded first gold medals in -50kg, Kulsoom got gold medal in -69kg, Uzma Asghar claimed silver medal in -55kg besides the teams comprising Uzma, Benish Akbar and Kalsoom took bronze medal. In the Individual Kata, Kulsoom won bronze medal.
In male contests, Muhammad Kashif in 55kg, Sadi Abbas in -67kg, and Baz Muhammad in -84kg and the female team fight the team comprising Benish Khan, Kalsoom, Kurat-ul-Ann and Benish Akhtar took gold medal while Benish Khan bagged silver medal in individual fight. He said the teams comprising 11 male and six female players. He said the team had a month-long coaching camp started from October 11 at Lahore and have training and coaching sessions till October 26 before shifted to Islamabad.
He said Sadi Abbas, Ramzan, Baz Muhammad, Muhammad Kashif and Imtiaz Ali were among 11 member male squad who reached to the semi-final of the Asian Games Team Championship. Ramzan also has the honour of winning gold medal in the last South Asian Games held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The other players comprising Ali Mehmood, Mohsin Ali, Juma Khan, Adil Jan, Jawad, Israr-ul-Haq and Abdul Khaliq along with Asian Games gold medalist Sadi Abbas. Khalid Noor said that the performance of the female were also matchless in the Championship. In the last South Asian Karate Championship held in Dhaka where Kalsoom won silver and bronze medals, Uzma Asghar and Hina Azeem grabbed bronze medals. He said besides the main event, Pakistani referees Farman Ahmad, Muhammad Usman and Bashir Butt attended the referees and judges refreshes course there. Syed Waseem Hashmi is the manager of the team, Khalid Noor concluded.