Naseem Hamid: Sprint queen to sit on the sidelines

Naseem Hamid to turn up as Sindh official in national event.

KARACHI:

Naseem Hamid will turn up for Sindh in the 44th National Athletics Championship – as a team official and not a participant – as the event gets underway in Islamabad tomorrow.

The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) President Akram Sahi, however, will talk to 2010 South Asian Games’ gold-medallist about her plans of representing Pakistan as the 23-year-old from Karachi has not represented the national team since her feat in Dhaka.

“She’s young and should be participating in the event instead of sitting on the sidelines,” Sahi told The Express Tribune. “If she’s fit, she should work harder to bring more laurels for Pakistan.”

Sahi added that Hamid’s limited appearances in events have raised of questions about her attitude, with many saying she was afraid of losing her identity as the fastest athlete in the country.

Meanwhile, the AFP president confirmed that Zeenat Parveen, who won two shot put bronze medals in the Asian Grand Prix in Thailand, will get a cash reward. Parveen’s efforts of 13.93m and 13.69m landed her medals in the second and third legs.

Sahi also praised the 800m specialist Rabia Ashiq for the improvements shown in Thailand, adding that the performance will give her confidence going into the London Olympics.

Meanwhile, Army’s Maqsood Ahmed, who has coached Hamid, said that she will only be taking part in the national games and not in any other events.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2012.