Pakistan record mixed results at Asian Games as hockey, squash teams shine
Pakistan recorded mixed results across several disciplines at the 20th Asian Games in Japan on Thursday, with the men’s hockey team defeating China 3-0 and squash players advancing in both singles and mixed doubles events.
Pakistan secured a 3-0 victory over China in their men’s hockey Pool B match, continuing their strong run in the competition.
In squash, Noor Zaman reached the men’s singles quarter-finals after defeating Kuwait’s Ammar Al-Tamimi 3-0, while Muhammad Ashab Irfan also progressed to the last eight with a straight-games victory over Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Nasfan.
Pakistan’s Asim Khan and Mehwish Ali advanced to the mixed doubles quarter-finals after defeating Japan’s Naoki Hayashi and Erisa Sano 2-1 in the Round of 16.
However, the other Pakistani mixed doubles pair of Nasir Iqbal and Sehrish Ali bowed out after losing 0-2 to Hong Kong.
In swimming, Mishal Ayesha Hayat Ayub finished third in Heat 1 of the women’s 50-metre freestyle with a time of 30.04 seconds. She finished 30th overall among 36 swimmers.
Hamza Asif finished 10th in Heat 5 of the men’s 50m butterfly, clocking 26.37 seconds. He was ranked 36th overall among 47 competitors.
Pakistan struggled in fencing, with Muhammad Waqas losing all six of his Pool 2 bouts. He lost 3-5 to Kyrgyzstan’s Alim-Bek Tibek, 2-5 to Qatar’s Abdulrahman Al-Jadra, 2-5 to Japan’s Masaru Yamada, 2-5 to Mongolia’s Munkhkhasar Alankhuu, 4-5 to Bangladesh’s M. Imtiaz and 2-5 to Hong Kong’s Ho Tin Ng.
Abdul Musawwir also lost all six of his Pool 5 matches. He was beaten 3-5 by Mongolia’s Gundul Batbimba, 2-5 by Singapore’s Simon Renjie Lee, 1-5 by Hong Kong’s Hui Sun Fong, 2-5 by Uzbekistan’s Mirkhon Temurov, 2-5 by Saudi Arabia’s Khalifa Khalil and 2-5 by the UAE’s Khalifa Al-Zarooni.
In table tennis, Muhammad Khan suffered a 0-4 defeat against Thailand’s Teetaphat Preechayan in the opening round, while Taha Bilal also exited after losing his match 0-4.
Pakistan also faced disappointment in boxing as Maria Rind lost to Mongolia’s Yesugen Oyuntsetseg after the referee stopped the contest.
In rowing, Asad Iqbal finished second in the Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls Final B, recording a time of seven minutes and 6.72 seconds.
Pakistan’s men’s kabaddi team suffered a 30-51 defeat against Iran in their Group B match.
In athletics, Faiqa Riaz finished fifth in Heat 3 of the women’s 100m first round, clocking 11.96 seconds. She ranked 19th among 28 competitors overall, with the 11.96-second timing recorded as her Pakistan Best.
Reporter: Arslan Hussain