Karate: WAPDA emerge easy winners
Clinch karate championship; Army and Sindh complete podium
PESHAWAR/KARACHI:
Wapda clinched the 21st National Karate Tournament after bagging a total of nine gold medals as the event concluded at the Peshawar Sports Complex yesterday.
Wapda, who topped all the categories, accumulated 205 points including nine gold and a silver medal. Army finished second with 90 points, a tally that included one gold, four silver and three bronze medals. Sindh were placed third after four silver and six bronze medals fetched them 70 points.
South Asian champion Saadi Abbas defeated Mohammad Yaseen of Army to win the below 67-kilogramme category and to go with his earlier gold medal, the Wapda athlete earned the player-of-the-tournament award.
In the team kata, Wapda’s Israrul haq, Javed and Abdul Khaliq defeated Army’s Mohammad Sajjad, Ziyarat Shah and Akhtar Munir.
Meanwhile, national team coach Khalid Noor said the event will help the Pakistan Karate Federation (PKF) in preparing players for international tournaments.
“We’re concentrating on the 11th Asian Championship that will be played in July this year,” Khalid told The Express Tribune. “Abbass will also go for the World Karate Championship in November. This tournament has helped us find new talent and the PKF will take steps to prepare them for upcoming international events.”
PKF yet to confirm squad
With the conclusion of the event, the PKF will now work on finalising a six-member squad that will be sent to train with an Iranian coach in Tehran from June 9.
“A total of nine players have done exceptionally well,” said PKF Secretary Shamim Hashmi. “I wasn’t expecting the performances to be that good and that’s why we need to think about it more.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2012.
Wapda clinched the 21st National Karate Tournament after bagging a total of nine gold medals as the event concluded at the Peshawar Sports Complex yesterday.
Wapda, who topped all the categories, accumulated 205 points including nine gold and a silver medal. Army finished second with 90 points, a tally that included one gold, four silver and three bronze medals. Sindh were placed third after four silver and six bronze medals fetched them 70 points.
South Asian champion Saadi Abbas defeated Mohammad Yaseen of Army to win the below 67-kilogramme category and to go with his earlier gold medal, the Wapda athlete earned the player-of-the-tournament award.
In the team kata, Wapda’s Israrul haq, Javed and Abdul Khaliq defeated Army’s Mohammad Sajjad, Ziyarat Shah and Akhtar Munir.
Meanwhile, national team coach Khalid Noor said the event will help the Pakistan Karate Federation (PKF) in preparing players for international tournaments.
“We’re concentrating on the 11th Asian Championship that will be played in July this year,” Khalid told The Express Tribune. “Abbass will also go for the World Karate Championship in November. This tournament has helped us find new talent and the PKF will take steps to prepare them for upcoming international events.”
PKF yet to confirm squad
With the conclusion of the event, the PKF will now work on finalising a six-member squad that will be sent to train with an Iranian coach in Tehran from June 9.
“A total of nine players have done exceptionally well,” said PKF Secretary Shamim Hashmi. “I wasn’t expecting the performances to be that good and that’s why we need to think about it more.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2012.