Sindh Games: Karachi makes it 16 titles in a row

Champions bag 106 golds, Hyderabad finish 2nd with 35.

KARACHI: Karachi retained its Sindh Games title for the 16th time as it finished the 16th edition of the Sindh Games with 106 gold medals – a difference of 71 gold medals separated it from the second-placed Hyderabad while Sukkur finished in third with nine.

Karachi’s march to the top, however, involved an ugly brawl on the hockey pitch when it took on Hyderabad yesterday. Players from both sides as well as the referees were involved in physical attack on each other. Karachi did end up winning gold courtesy a 4-2 win but Hyderabad player Mohammad Waseem hit out at referee Ikhlaq Bukhari when he tried to calm a verbal duel.



Razia (first from left) was named the best female athlete with eight golds as Karachi dominated the Sindh Games yet again. PHOTO: APP

Waseem ended up pushing the referee to the ground and later kicked him a couple of times. The match was stopped for 30 minutes while Waseem was escorted out of the venue.

In the women’s final, Karachi defeated Sukkur 2-1. Larkana won the bronze medal after defeating Mirpur Khas 2-0.

Karachi’s Saad named best male athlete

Meanwhile, swimmer Saad Amin was named the best male athlete of the event as the 14-year-old bagged seven individual gold medals. “I’m very happy about the award,” Amin told The Express Tribune. “But most importantly, I got to learn from all the experienced swimmers who were competing there.”



Razia (first from left) was named the best female athlete with eight golds as Karachi dominated the Sindh Games yet again. PHOTO: APP

The Sindh Swimming Association (SSA) Secretary Mohammad Ali Shishmahal also praised the teenager.

“Saad started swimming a couple of years ago and is the youngest athlete ever to win this award,” said Shishmahal. “He has proved that swimming needs to be included in every edition of the Games. We now have a strong player to represent the province in the National Games in Lahore that start from December 22.”



Razia (first from left) was named the best female athlete with eight golds as Karachi dominated the Sindh Games yet again. PHOTO: APP

Meanwhile, the female version of the award was won by seasoned athlete Razia Sher Khan who clinched eight individual gold medals. This was the second time this year that Razia won the award.

The event also had two milestones when Larakana’s Tahir Soomro broke his own record in the shot-put event to win a gold medal for Larkana. He finished fifth in the overall standings with six gold medals. The second record was broken in the high jump competition by Hyderabad’s Muhammad Hasil.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2012.