SSGC dominate National Cycling Championship

Army finish second as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa secure third place

KARACHI:

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) finished at the summit, followed by Pakistan Army and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the 10th National Road Cycling Championship concluded at Bahria Town Karachi on Sunday.

SSGC won the championship with 16 medals, including 11 gold, three silver and two bronze. Pakistan Army finished runners-up with nine medals, comprising two gold, four silver and three bronze, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa secured third place with seven medals, including two silver and five bronze.

Ahmad Shahzad (Balochistan), Mohammad (Sindh) and Muneeb (Punjab) emerged as the leading young riders while Sindh’s Samar, Punjab’s Christina Haroon and Hoorin Yahya from Crank Addicts stole limelight as young female pedallists.

Organised by the Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF), the three-day championship attracted cyclists from across the country, who competed in men’s, women’s, junior, masters and other categories.

Teams representing SSGC, Pakistan Army, Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts and other organisations took part in individual time trials, team time trials and road races.

POF won three gold medals, while Balochistan secured one gold to complete the list of gold-medal-winning teams.

The inclusion of masters’ categories for cyclists aged 40-49 and 50 and above was a notable feature of this year’s championship. The event also provided young male and female cyclists with an opportunity to demonstrate their potential and gain valuable competitive experience.

The closing ceremony was held on Sunday, with HabibMetro Bank senior executive Sharifa Haider Ali attending as chief guest and distributing prizes among the outstanding performers.

The PCF also announced plans to explore the possibility of hosting the South Asian Road Cycling Championship at Bahria Town Karachi next year, subject to consultations and approval from the relevant international cycling authorities and other stakeholders.

The proposed event aims to provide Pakistani cyclists with greater exposure to regional competition and promote the country as a venue for international sporting events.

The federation, however, expressed concern over the lack of an annual grant or financial assistance from the Pakistan Sports Board, saying limited resources had made it increasingly difficult to organise national-level competitions.

It said the championship had been staged with support from sponsors and called on government institutions, private-sector companies and sports bodies to provide greater assistance for the development of cycling in Pakistan.