Pakistan women win handball bronze in IHF Nations Trophy

Pakistan’s women’s handball team won the bronze medal at the International Handball Federation (IHF) Women’s Nations Trophy Asia Zone III in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, finishing third after returning to international competition following a seven-year absence.

Hosts Uzbekistan won the trophy, Turkmenistan claimed silver, Kyrgyzstan placed fourth and Tajikistan came fifth in the five-team tournament held from October 13 to 17.

Uzbekistan also blasted their way into the Continental Women Nations Trophy. 

Pakistan began their campaign on October 13 with a 38-19 defeat by Turkmenistan before suffering a 46-8 loss to hosts Uzbekistan the following day.

The team bounced back on October 15 with a 36-14 victory over Tajikistan, with captain Sehrish named player of the match. Pakistan completed their campaign with another impressive performance, beating Kyrgyzstan 33-23 on October 17, with Misbah receiving the player-of-the-match award.

Pakistan finished the tournament with two wins and two defeats, securing third place in the final standings. Their victories over Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan proved decisive in earning the bronze medal.

Pakistan Handball Federation’s (PHF) president Mohammad Shafiq described the result as an encouraging achievement given the challenges facing the team.

“It is a good achievement because our senior women’s team has participated in an international tournament after seven years. The team had a short training period and faced a lack of facilities,” Shafiq told The Express Tribune.

Pakistan women had to wait for long for international exposure since featuring in the 2019 Nepal South Asian Games. Pakistan previously were in the South Asian zone but now have shifted to the Central Asian zone because of issues with India.

Meanwhile Uzbekistan dominated the competition, winning all four matches to secure the title. They defeated Tajikistan 49-9, Pakistan 46-8, Kyrgyzstan 43-17 and Turkmenistan 21-16.

Turkmenistan finished runners-up with three victories, including their 38-19 win over Pakistan. Pakistan’s two wins placed them ahead of Kyrgyzstan, who recorded one victory, while Tajikistan finished without a win.