The sun burned with a fierce, summer-like intensity on the winter morning but it couldn’t temper the spirit of the competitors gunning for glory at the National Games on Tuesday.
The open field at the athletics venue hummed with simultaneous action — discus flying in one sector, hurdlers pacing in another. On the track, athletes bobbed and stretched, their shadows short under the midday blaze. In the stands, a scattered crowd fanned themselves, eyes darting between events.
The pool offered some respite from the blazing sun as swimming began at the Games on a day headlined by Commonwealth Games gold medallist Inam Butt extending his remarkable legacy by clinching his 18th national title — the most by any wrestler — and a national record for discus thrower Faryal Farooq.
Faryal’s feat was the culmination of a four-years effort; those long days of lonely training meeting minutes of razor-edged opportunity.
Through her first four throws, she was nowhere near the mark. The record, it seemed, would elude her once more.
Then, before her final attempt, her coach Ashraf Ali leaned in and told her he would be proud if she breaks the record.
Those words lit up the fire. Faryal spun, released, and the discus sailed — a silent arc against the blue clear sky. Every eye followed it until it thudded into the earth, well beyond the previous best. The official announced 38.21 meters — a new national record.
The crowd erupted. For Faryal, from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, it was ecstasy, the triumphant end of a quest.
“After hearing my coach’s words, I put everything into the final throw,” she told Dawn, breathless. “We get few opportunities to compete throughout the year, so I train all year for one event and try to leave my heart out in the field.”
While Faryal’s moment shone brightest, other stories unfolded across the scorched field, each adding a different hue to the day’s tapestry.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Musarrat Shaheen of Wapda, hailing from Mianwali in Punjab, powered through the last 100 meters to claim gold.
Her smile afterwards was bright, but her words were sobering.
“It’s a killer sport,” she said while talking to Dawn, referring to the constant risk of injury.
Her hurdles weren’t just on the track. “Where I am from, there is that backward thinking that girls should stay in the house. Thankfully my family is supportive.”
For Qasim Fayyaz of the Army, from Chiniot, the 20km walk race was a battle against the clock and the elements. He finished seven minutes behind of his personal best, due to the extreme weather.
His routine reveals the brutal behind-the-scenes sacrifice: 90km of road running per week, twice-daily gym sessions in winter. “The body gets fatigued… We get very little time to rest. Focus on diet, which is very integral, is also not much.”
The drama of endurance played out differently in the men’s 400m hurdles, where Abid Razzak staged a late surge to snatch gold.
For most of the race, his Army team-mate Tajammul Hussain (silver) was on his neck, but Razzak hung on his shoulder. As the second-placed athlete faded in the final metres, Razzak pounced, edging ahead at the line.
