Pakistan’s Faiqa Riaz Sets New National Record at Commonwealth Games

Pakistan’s Faiqa Riaz set a new national record in the women’s 100 meters at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, despite narrowly missing qualification for the semifinals.

Competing in the third heat, Faiqa completed the race in 11.64 seconds. Her performance broke the previous national record of 11.81 seconds, which was jointly held by Olympians Sadaf Siddiqui and Naseem Hameed.

Faiqa Riaz finished 21st overall in a field of 52 athletes. The top 17 runners qualified for the semifinals, with the Pakistani athlete missing a place in the next round by just 0.12 seconds.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ansar Abbas also failed to advance in the men’s long jump competition. He recorded a best jump of 7.06 meters in the qualification round and finished 18th among 20 competitors. Only the top 12 athletes progressed to the final.

In lawn bowls, Pakistan’s Ayub Qureshi ended his men’s singles campaign with a victory over Jamaica’s Robert Simpson. Ayub won the match 13-3, 9-5 and completed the group stage with two victories from five matches. However, the result was not enough to earn him a place in the semifinals.

Pakistan’s swimmers also failed to progress from their respective events. Ahmed Durrani completed the men’s 100-meter freestyle in 53.09 seconds to finish 44th overall, while Hamza Asif recorded a time of 53.43 seconds and placed 47th.

In the women’s 50-meter breaststroke, Hareem Malik finished 24th after completing the race in 36.52 seconds.

Pakistan’s boxers also exited the competition following defeats in the round of 16. Sumama Rehman suffered a unanimous 5-0 defeat against India’s Jadumani Singh Mandengbam in the men’s 55-kilogram contest.

Mailaika Zahid won the opening round of her bout but eventually suffered a 4-1 defeat against Zambia’s C. Mwape.

Although Pakistan’s athletes faced several early exits, Faiqa’s record-breaking performance emerged as a significant achievement for the country’s contingent and provided a major positive on the international stage.