Hameed opts out of Commonwealth Games

Asian Games record holder and the 11th South Asian Games (SAF) women’s sprint champion Naseem Hameed has confirmed that she will not represent Pakistan in the 2010 Commonwealth Games as she had stopped training for the 100-metre race.

“I didn’t participate in the trials for the Commonwealth Games because I knew I wasn’t able to compete in the event,” Hameed told The Express Tribune. “I was unwell and due to some personal issues, I hadn’t practiced since the National Games got postponed in March. Therefore, I skipped the trials so that I can buy some time to prepare for the Asian Games instead.”

Hameed has joined the camp set up by her department Pakistan Army in Islamabad where she is trying to regain her form and fitness for the National Championship scheduled to take place in the federal capital from July 8.

According to Hameed, she is focusing on the relay-race instead at the camp and her aim is to improve her preparations for the Asian Games trials where she will face her competitor Sadaf Siddiqui who ended seventh at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

She also added that despite her record-breaking feat, ever since her return to Pakistan, there has been a lot of back-biting and jealousy among her female compatriots.

“Male athletes were very happy for me and they encouraged me to do better but somehow a certain section of women athletes started to say that I’m scared to get on the track. They forgot that I have worked very hard to pursue this sport. But now that I’m back with my trainers, I am targeting more international accolades for Pakistan and looking forward to prove my opponents wrong.”

Hameed also shrugged off Siddiqui’s recent comments where she doubted Hameed would be able to reproduce her medal-winning effort and was thus skipping the Commonwealth Games in fear. Despite being upset by the comments, Hameed added that they had to work together in order to produce the results for the country and not an individual.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2010.