Army men triumph at national gymnastics

Team clinches title with eight gold medals, WAPDA end in second place.

KARACHI: Army were crowned champions of the National Gymnastics Men’s Championship 2013 yesterday after collecting a total of eight gold medals and 287.9 points in the event at the Government College University Sports Hall in Lahore.

Wapda finished second with four gold medals and 273.9 points.

Army’s Syed Saifuddin was declared the best gymnast of the championship after tallying 77.65 points in six events and taking three gold medals.

Saifuddin swept the roman-rings competitions with Wapda’s Muhammad Afzal finishing second followed by Army’s Muhammad Shakeel.

Saifuddin also won gold medals in the floor event and pummeled horse, while teammate Muhammad Asif won silver and Wapda’s Khurram Shehzad finished third.

There was joy for Wapda in the high-bar event as Shehzad won the gold medal while Saifuddin took silver.

Pakistan Railways finished the championship in third place with one gold medal and 186.15 points.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin believes the athletes need foreign coaches to progress in the sport.

“I’ve stuck to gymnastics because it is my passion. Otherwise the federation has never supported us,” Saifuddin told The Express Tribune. “My personal best has been 13.5 out of 17 points, which is a good score, but it’s nothing compared to international standards. Unfortunately, I’m far behind.

“Similarly, in international events, there is no limitation for the gymnasts as far as their choice of event is concerned. In Pakistan, we can’t compete in more than three events. There are only three individual events. The Pakistan Gymnastics Federation has bent the rules according to its own convenience and lack of infrastructure.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2013.