Mahnoor strikes gold for Sindh at national athletics championship

Sindh’s Mahnoor Fatima claimed the women’s 5,000-metre race walk title at the 54th National Athletics Championship, securing the province’s first gold medal on the opening day of the competition at NED University of Engineering and Technology.

Mahnoor completed the race in 32 minutes and 32.40 seconds. WAPDA’s Ammara Manawwar won silver, while Punjab’s Sawera took bronze.

Expressing her happiness, Mahnoor credited her achievement to the support and guidance of her coaches, Nadia, Shahbaz and Abdullah, while appreciating the organisers for arranging the championship.

In the men’s 20-kilometre race walk, WAPDA’s Waqas secured gold, Navy’s Muhammad Younis Khan earned silver, and WAPDA’s Muhammad Gulfam finished with bronze.

Sindh Home Minister Zia Hussain Lanjar is scheduled to inaugurate the championship. Organised by the Sindh Athletics Association under the supervision of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan, the event features Rs9 million in prize money for medal winners.

Athletes representing various departments, provinces and regions, including WAPDA, the armed forces, Railways, Police, HEC, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, are competing in the championship.

Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem, national 100-metre record holder Shajar Abbas and international sprinter Moeed Baloch are among the prominent athletes expected to draw attention during the competition.