Olympics: Rabia, Liaquat suffer minor injuries

Liaqat Ali is suffering from stiff legs ahead of their events. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: There was bad news for Pakistan ahead of the track events as Rabia Ashiq, who will be taking part in the 800m race, was affected by back spasms while sprinter Liaqat Ali is suffering from stiff legs ahead of their events.

While Rabia has over a week to recover – her event takes place on August 8 – Liaqat is racing against time to be fit for his August 4 heat. Bushra Parveen, who is accompanying the pair as coach, said that the players suffered minor injuries due to the Mondo track.

“The Mondo track has taken a lot out of our athletes during the training as they had to put in a lot of effort to run on it,” Parveen told The Express Tribune from London. “We’ve got tartan tracks in Pakistan so it’s a bit of a tricky situation for our athletes. But we’ll make sure that whatever time we have, we use it to get acclimatised to the track so that when the competition starts, our athletes can run to their potential.”

Parveen added that strong winds and chilly weather in London can also be a discomfort for them and hence termed their chances of performing well at the Olympics bleak.

Meanwhile, Parveen revealed that Rabia was overwhelmed by her participation in the Olympics because she hails from the outskirts of Lahore and just being present at the Athletes’ Village was a different world altogether for her.

“She was shocked because of the facilities the athletes received. But she is trying hard to focus on the Games and not getting distracted by the top athletes who she has trained so closely with.

“The pair wanted a photo with Usain Bot but while neither of them could, I managed to do so and I’ll savour that for the rest of my life.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2012.