No medals for Pakistan at South Asian junior athletics event in Chennai

None of 12 athletes from Pakistan, participating in the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship held in India's Chennai, managed to win any of the 90 medals available.

Some report were questioninf the qualifications of the coach with the team.

India excelled at the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship, which wrapped up on Friday, securing a total of 48 medals: 21 gold, 22 silver, and five bronze.

Sri Lanka placed second with nine gold, nine silver, and 17 bronze medals. Bangladesh followed in third with three bronze medals. Maldives won 2 medals, and Nepal won 1 medal, while Pakistani athletes failed to win any medals.

In various events, four Pakistani athletes struggled to make an impact.

In the women's high jump, Aiza Ahmed was unable to clear the opening height of 1.50 meters, resulting in her early elimination.

In the men's 100-meter heats, Ammar Ibrahim Afridi finished last in his race with a time of 12.69 seconds, while Muhammad Husnain placed fourth in his heat with a time of 11.32 seconds.

Neither athlete progressed to the finals. In the men's 800-meter race, Muhammad Shahid ended the day in last place with a time of 2:10.17.

According to sources, instead of sending qualified coaches, favoured individuals were allegedly appointed for the tour of India. Iqbal Akhtar, Miss Aabida, Saif Afridi, and Rana Tanveer were sent as team officials, who were reportedly occupied with sightseeing rather than attending the event.

Meanwhile, Asghar Gul, Rafiq Ahmed, and Sami Zaidi continued coaching at the training camp in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Sports Board has provided 93 million in funds to the Athletics Federation over the past two years.