Pakistan Rout Malaysia in Kabaddi As Asim Claims Bronze

News Desk
LAHORE: Pakistan’s kabaddi team launched their Asian Games campaign with a commanding 65-22 victory over Malaysia in a Group B fixture at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium, while athlete Asim Khan secured the nation’s first medal of the tournament by claiming bronze in mixed martial arts.
The national kabaddi side dominated proceedings from the outset, establishing a commanding 38-11 lead by half-time before adding 27 points in the second period, supplemented by 10 crucial all-out points.
In the combat sports arena, Asim Khan’s impressive run in the Modern Mixed Martial Arts event concluded in the semi-finals of the -60kg category at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre.
Despite falling to Tajikistan’s Mirzobek Umarov, Asim had already guaranteed himself a podium finish by defeating Cambodia’s Sopanha Pheng in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, in the swimming pool, Pakistan’s Hamza Asif competed in the 50m freestyle heats, finishing second in his heat with a time of 24.04 seconds.
However, his overall placement at 30th fell short of the qualification threshold required to advance further in the highly competitive international swimming discipline.
Looking ahead, the national kabaddi squad prepares to face Nepal in their next crucial group fixture on Tuesday, following Nepal’s narrow 59-48 defeat against Thailand.
The ongoing multi-sport event continues to test Pakistani athletes across various disciplines as they strive for continental glory.