Athletics in Pakistan

Athletics in Pakistan is overseen by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) which organizes athletic tournaments in Pakistan. Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking.

History

Many Pakistani athletes have excelled in various events including the Olympic Games, the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games among others.[1]

The 1950s and 1960s are often regarded as the Golden Age of Pakistani athletics, with Abdul Khaliq, Ghulam Raziq, Mubarak Shah, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Nawaz, Jalal Khan, Allah Ditta and Muhammad Ramzan Ali achieving various milestones.[1] In the early decades, Pakistanis held many Asian records including the Asian 100 m and 200 m record held by Abdul Khaliq.[1]

Other notable athletes include Mirza Khan, Ghulam Abbas, Nadir Khan, Aqarab Abbas, Muhammad Sharif Butt, Khwaja Muhammad Aslam, among others, who got prominence at either Asian or International levels, winning gold medals for Pakistan.[2] Pakistani female athletes have also represented Pakistan at the international level, such as Shabana Akhtar, who was the first Pakistani female athlete to participate at the Olympics. International events such as the Lahore Marathon take place in the country.

Arshad Nadeem, javelin thrower and Pakistan's first Olympic Gold medallist in athletics.

In recent times, Arshad Nadeem is the reigning Olympic champion in Men's javelin throw with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 metres (305.0 ft) at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[3] He also created a Commonwealth Games record with a throw of 90.18 m and became the first ever athlete from South Asia to breach the 90m mark.[4]

National Championship

National Athletics Championships is held annually by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan.[5]

Major international medallists

Competition Athlete Medal Event Year
Olympic Games Arshad Nadeem 1st place, gold medalist(s) Javelin throw 2024
World Championships Arshad Nadeem 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Javelin throw 2023
Commonwealth Games
Arshad Nadeem 1st place, gold medalist(s) Javelin throw 2022
Muhammad Nawaz 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Javelin throw 1966
Muhammad Iqbal 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Hammer throw 1966
Ghulam Raziq 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 120 yards hurdles 1966
Ghulam Raziq 1st place, gold medalist(s) 120 yards hurdles 1962
Jalal Khan 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Javelin throw 1958
Muhammad Iqbal 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Hammer throw 1958
Muhammad Ramzan Ali 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Long jump 1958
Ghulam Raziq 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 120 yards hurdles 1958
Muhammad Iqbal 1st place, gold medalist(s) Hammer throw 1954
Muhammad Nawaz 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Javelin throw 1954
Jalal Khan 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Javelin throw 1954

Notable performance at Summer Olympics

Athlete(s) Event Games Result
Arshad Nadeem Men's Javelin Throw 2024 Paris 1st place 1st place, gold medalist(s) (92.97m) OR
Arshad Nadeem Men's Javelin Throw 2020 Tokyo Final (5th place - 84.62m)
Bashir Ahmed, Mohammad Sadaqat, Mohammad Afzal, Muhammad Fayyaz Men's 4 × 400 metres relay 1988 Seoul Semi-Final
Abdul Malik,
Muhammad Ramzan Ali,
Ghulam Raziq,
Abdul Khaliq 		Men's 4 x 100 metres relay 1960 Rome Semi-Final
Ghulam Raziq Men's 110 metres hurdles 1960 Rome 4th in Semi-Final heat
Abdul Aziz,
Muhammad Sharif Butt,
Abdul Khaliq,
Ghulam Raziq 		Men's 4 x 100 metres relay 1956 Melbourne Semi-Final
Ghulam Raziq Men's 110 metres hurdles 1956 Melbourne Semi-Final
Abdul Khaliq Men's 200 metres 1956 Melbourne 4th in Semi-Final heat – Stands in top seven athletes
Abdul Khaliq Men's 100 metres 1956 Melbourne 4th in Semi-Final heat
Muhammad Aslam,
Abdul Aziz,
Muhammad Shariff Butt,
Muhammad Fazil 		Men's 4 x 100 metres relay 1952 Helsinki Semi-Final

Total medals won by Pakistani athletes in major tournaments

Competition Gold Silver Bronze Total
Olympics 1 0 0 1
World Championships 0 1 0 1
Commonwealth Games 3 3 6 12
Asian Games 14 13 13 40
Asian Championships 2 3 3 8
Asian Indoor Championships 0 1 1 2
Asian Cross Country Championships 0 1 1 2
Total 20 22 24 66

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Golden Age of Pakistani Athletics: The 50s and the 60s | Sports | thenews.com.pk". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  2. ^ Zuberi, Anwar (2006-11-16). "Pakistan's golden past in athletics: Asian Games in perspective". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  3. ^ Topping, Alexandra (2024-08-08). "Arshad Nadeem throws his way into history for Pakistan with javelin gold". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  4. ^ Desk, The Bridge (2022-08-08). "Watch: Arshad Nadeem becomes first South Asian to breach 90m mark". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "AFP to conduct two national c'ships in Sept, Oct: Sahi". 15 July 2021.
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