PHOTO COURTESY: Haris Bandey Facebook
KARACHI: In a disappointing turn of events, Pakistani swimmer Haris Bandey crashed out of the Rio Olympics in the first round as he came last in men’s 400m freestyle heat at the Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
Of 50 swimmers, Bandey was the last to complete the heat as he was timed at 4min 33.13sec. Whereas first place holder Conor Dwyer completed the heat in 3min 43.42sec and 49th place Pol Arias was timed at 4min 21.16sec.
The 17-year-old London-based swimmer didn’t even reach the score he reached at the 16th World Championship at Kazan, Russia in 2015.
Pakistan’s contingent looks to impress
Bandey is one of seven athletes along with 17 officials sent by Pakistan at the ongoing event in Brazil. Earlier, Pakistan’s first female shooter, Minhal Sohail, secured 28th position in the 10m air rifle event in Rio.
After yesterday’s results, Pakistan’s hopes for an Olympic medal lie with the five remaining athletes, which include swimmer Lianna Swan, judoka Shah Hussain Shah, shooter Ghulam Mustafa, and sprinters Mehboob Ali and Najma Parveen.
Previously, Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) president Majid Waseem claimed that Bandey and Lianna Swan are the best swimmers they have in the country. “These two swimmers have been practicing abroad and are the best swimmers we have,” he said.
24 Pakistani Olympians to watch at Rio 2016
Here’s a list of top and bottom five results in Bandey’s heat:
1. Conor Dwyer (USA) 3min 43.42sec
2. Mack Horton (Australia) 3min 43.84sec
3. Gabriele Detti (Italy) 3min 43.95sec
4. Sun Yang (China) 3min 44.23sec
5. David McKeon (Australia) 3min 44.68sec
46. Jessie Lacuna (Philippines) 4min 01.70sec
47. Iacovos Hadjiconstantinou (Cyprus) 4min 03.53sec
48. Geoffrey Butler (Cayman Islands) 4min 07.87sec
49. Pol Arias (Andorra) 4min 21.16sec
50. Haris Bandey (Pakistan) 4min 33.13sec
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