Asian Games
Mixed performances saw Pakistan win only one gold as the women’s cricket team successfully defended their title.
One gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Pakistan were able to win only five medals from the 20 disciplines that they took part in.
The country’s half-hearted campaign at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games left much to be desired, doling out more cringe-worthy moments than celebratory ones for those watching back home.
As expected, the Pakistan women’s cricket team retained its title at the Asiad, thereby giving Pakistan its only gold medal of the edition. Not much surprise there, considering that the team was up against Thailand, China and Bangladesh in the entire tournament. Still, keeping in mind the unpredictability factor of the squad, the achievement is not something to be overlooked.
In contrast, the appearance of the national men’s hockey team in the final created a stir, as very few were optimistic of Pakistan making it to the decider given the state of their game at the time and their lack of participation in any prior international tournament for almost a year. Perhaps that was the reason why the Greenshirts were forgiven so quickly for losing to India in the final on the penalty shuffle.
Pakistan’s first medal at the Asian Games was a bronze, won by an unlikely source, Syed Maratib Ali, who won the wushu -70kg Sanda category after reaching the semi-finals of the event, where he lost to China’s Kun Zhang. The news came as a boost for aspiring martial artists in Pakistan, where there is little scope for the discipline.
The second bronze as achieved in boxing, when Muhammad Waseem won his quarter-final bout against Kyrgyzstan’s Azat Usenaliev on a technical knock-out. However, the pugilist went down to zbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov in the semi-final, ending his hopes of winning a silver or a gold.
The national kabaddi team made it to the Asian Games’ semi-finals, but lost out to Iran 25-14 to finish its run with a bronze medal.
However, the biggest disappointment in the Games was Pakistan’s failure to defend its squash team title. Instead, the favourites were knocked out in the group stages.
Even before the commencement of the Games, many of the sports in the country were embroiled in controversy due to the infighting between the parallel factions of the Pakistan Olympic Association, resulting in the non-participation of the athletics contingent, a discipline which has won the second-highest number of medals
for Pakistan at the Asian Games.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2014.