Karachi, December 9, 2025: Pakistan Army continued its dominant run at the 35th National Games on Tuesday, surpassing a half-century of gold medals as competitions across athletics, swimming, fencing, and wrestling intensified.
Officials said the track and field schedule alone featured 12 gold-medal events at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) facility. Army’s Faryal Farooq stood out in athletics with a 38.21-metre record throw to claim the women’s discus title. “This record was my target all year,” she said after securing gold.
WAPDA’s Fatima Hussain maintained her dominance in the women’s javelin with a 42.38-metre throw, while track events saw Faiqa Riaz win her second gold of the Games in the women’s 200 metres. WAPDA’s Iram Shehzadi topped the women’s 800 metres, and Musarrat Shaheen claimed the women’s 400m hurdles title. In men’s hurdles, Army’s Mohammad Naeem won gold in the 110m event.
Army further excelled in endurance and field events, with Qasim Faiz winning the 20km race walk, Asif taking gold in men’s pole vault, and Waqas Akbar claiming the men’s 800 metres. WAPDA’s Amara won the women’s 5km walk, while HEC’s Ummat-ur-Rehman secured gold in the triple jump.
Weightlifting at Scout Headquarters saw four women’s categories decided: Shafaq Waheed (48kg, WAPDA), Nida Fatima (53kg, Army), Arjumand Khan (58kg, Army), and Noor Fatima (63kg, Army) claimed gold. In fencing, HEC’s Karima Parveen defeated departmental teammate Faryal Shahid 15-13 to secure another gold.
Wrestling also kicked off with Pakistan star Inam Butt winning gold, joined by WAPDA’s Junaid (57kg), Army’s Asadullah (79kg), and Punjab’s Abdullah (70kg) topping their divisions. In squash, Pakistan Army captured both men’s and women’s team titles, defeating WAPDA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, respectively.
Swimming opened with Pakistan Army claiming five women’s golds, while Sindh’s Hareem Malik added another. In men’s swimming, Army took five gold medals, with WAPDA winning one. Shooting competitions saw Pakistan Army extend its gold tally to 11, followed by Navy with nine.
Islamabad finally opened its account as its women’s tennis team defeated WAPDA 2-1, earning the capital its first gold of the event.
The 35th National Games in Karachi continued to intensify, with departments vying for supremacy in Pakistan’s premier multi-sport spectacle.
