10-year-old Misha makes waves in gymnastic circuit

Wins five gold medals at National Women’s Championship; aims to win gold at Olympics


Natasha Raheel January 13, 2017
Photo Courtesy: Misha Saqib

KARACHI: Picking up gymnastics is a road less trodden in Pakistan and 10-year-old Misha Saqib is all set to blaze the trail as she dreams of following her idol Simone Biles by winning gold at the Olympics.

Misha stunned all at the National Women's Championship this week when she collected five gold medals which included winning the individual vault event, the individual balance beam and the floor event, while she took the award for the best gymnast and claimed another medal with Sindh Green for winning the championship in the overall team rankings.

"I want to be like Biles," Misha told The Express Tribune. "I train six times a week after school and I work hard on improving myself; I want to be an Olympian when I grow up. I really like Misha; she is the best gymnast."

Misha began showing interest in gymnastics in 2013 when she was introduced to the sport through a local coach who used to train the kids in her neighbourhood. A lot of time has passed since then and Misha now gets to go to Dubai to train twice a year.

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"It’s a lot of hard work and dedication," said Misha’s mother Zantiana. "We took her to London for a short course as well and Misha did some ballet for a year as well; we saw her potential so we decided that she should continue with it.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan Gymnastics Federation (PGF) President Ahmed Ali Rajput, who is also a Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) official, said that Misha has been one of the most improved athletes he has seen so far and hopes she keeps up the good work.

He, however, lamented the state of the sport in the country. “Gymnastics in Pakistan is a misunderstood sport," admitted Rajput. "Most of the coaches, even the national ones, read articles to find out how to train the athletes. They don't have much professional experience. We have still a very long way to go if we are to become world-class.”

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