The SFP will send one male and female athlete each to the Winter Olympics in Sochi and Nawaz has already qualified for the mega event earlier this year. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI: Tough luck continued for Pakistan’s Muhammad Abbas as he fell to the third last position in his second match at the International Ski Federation (FIS) races in Erzurum, Turkey.
Abbas, who participated in the Winter Games 2010 in Canada, finished on the 35th spot out of 37 in the slalom race in two minutes and 29.04 seconds, falling from his 31st position in the opening race.
Teenager Muhammad Karim remained the top Pakistani skier in the competition to finish at the 29th place in two minutes and 18.56 seconds whereas Mir Nawaz finished in two minutes 19.56 seconds, securing the 31st spot.
The Ski Federation of Pakistan (SFP) had sent five athletes to Turkey to earn qualifying points for the Winter Olympics next year.
The SFP will send one male and female athlete each to the Winter Olympics in Sochi and Nawaz has already qualified for the mega event earlier this year.
“Abbas will have a chance to improve as there are still two more races left,” SFP secretary Mussarat Ali told The Express Tribune. “His age is also a factor, but he is an experienced skier. The best results in five races will be considered for qualification for Sochi, so he can catch up.”
Meanwhile, the next two events will be the giant slalom races for both male and female participants.
“We wanted to send the skiers to Iran before Turkey, but the races got cancelled due to lack of snow,” said Ali, adding that races in Turkey, Iran and Lebanon are feasible in terms of expenses. “We choose the events where we know our skiers can win.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2013.
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