Afaq Khan won Gold for Pakistan in 100m snowshoeing race at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin on Friday.
The Special Olympics Pakistan athletes have won three gold medals so far in cross-country skiing and snowshoeing events.
Pakistani athletes have also added one silver and two bronze medals, making a total of six medals on the tally.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Al Jailani Ahmed from UAE got silver and Amarbold Munkhdul of Mongolia finished with a bronze medal in 100m snowshoeing race behind Afaq.
The SOP are fielding 10 athletes in Turin. This is the first time after 2017 that the World Winter Games are taking place.
Pak athletes continue their successful run
In the men’s 4×100-meter snowshoeing relay race, Canada’s team won the gold medal, while Pakistan’s Moazzam Iqbal, Abdul Saboor, Muhammad Afaq, and Ali Raza secured silver. China’s athletes finished in third place.
In the women’s 4×100-meter snowshoeing relay, Canada took first place, while Pakistan’s Iqra Akram, Tabassum Nasir, Shah Guloon, and Manahil finished second, winning the silver medal. Chinese Taipei secured the bronze.
On the final day of the event, the 400-meter race will take place, featuring Pakistan’s Moazzam Iqbal, Saboor Ahmed, and Ali Raza in the men’s category, while Iqra Akram and Manahil will compete in the women’s race.
Governor of Sindh pay tribute to Special Olympics Pakistan
Governor of Sindh, Kamran Khan Tessori, has praised Pakistani special athletes Moazzam Iqbal and Muneeb ur Rehman for winning gold medals at the ongoing Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy.
He stated that these athletes, with their determination as strong as mountains, have made the entire nation proud by raising the Pakistani flag high in the world of sports. Their achievement proves that with continuous hard work and a passion for winning for the country, success can be achieved.
Governor Tessori also paid tribute to Special Olympics Pakistan Chairperson Ronak Lakhani for her efforts in supporting athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities. He appreciated her humanitarian services for the special athletes.
Squash legend Jahangir Khan congratulates Special Olympians
Squash legend Jahangir Khan congratulated the athletes on their medal victories, calling them role models for the entire nation. He emphasized that the Special Olympics Pakistan team, especially the coaches, have been preparing the athletes with great national spirit for the past five years, and today their hard work has been rewarded with gold medals. He also praised Ronak Lakhani’s contributions, calling them exemplary at the national level.
The coaches of gold medalist Muneeb ur Rehman in cross-country skiing, Shumaila Aram and Muhammad Saleem, and the coaches of Moazzam Iqbal, the snowshoeing gold medalist, Irfan Anwar and Aram Abdul Majeed, expressed their happiness over the athletes’ outstanding performances.