KARACHI: Air Force clinched the men’s football title of the 35th National Games, defeating Army 1–0 in the final, while WAPDA secured third place and Navy finished fourth.
The title clash, played at the KPT Football Stadium, featured an intense contest as both teams launched multiple attacks on each other’s goalpost. Despite the aggressive play, the first half remained goalless. In the second half, Air Force’s Samad broke the deadlock with a brilliant move, scoring the decisive goal.
Earlier, in the third-place match, WAPDA defeated Navy 4–0. For WAPDA, Fareedullah netted two goals, while Khurram and Faheem scored one each. The athletics events of the National Games concluded with Army securing the Men’s General Trophy, while WAPDA claimed the Women’s General Trophy.
In the men’s category, Army finished first with 16 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze medals. WAPDA secured second place with 3 gold, 8 silver and 3 bronze medals, while Pakistan Navy claimed third position with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal.
In the women’s category, WAPDA dominated with 16 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals to clinch first place. HEC secured second position with 2 gold, 13 silver and 6 bronze medals, while Army stood third with 3 gold, 1 silver and 8 bronze medals.
On the final day, WAPDA’s Maria won the gold medal in the women’s 5000m race, followed by her teammate Farhat, who took silver, while Gonish claimed bronze. In the men’s decathlon, Army secured both gold and silver medals, with HEC taking bronze.
In the women’s heptathlon, WAPDA’s Maliha won gold, Urooj took silver and Munazza earned bronze. In the men’s high jump, WAPDA’s Shahroz won gold, while Army’s Ahmed Faraz and Fahadullah claimed silver and bronze, respectively.
In the women’s 4x400m relay, WAPDA’s Rida, Noreen, Musarrat and Sunaina clocked 4 minutes and 8.3 seconds to win gold, with HEC taking silver and Sindh securing bronze. In the men’s 4x400m relay, Army’s Abid, Usman, Bilal and Ismail clinched gold with a time of 3 minutes and 14.5 seconds, while WAPDA won silver and HEC took bronze.
The National Games basketball competitions concluded at the North Nazimabad Gymkhana, where WAPDA delivered outstanding performances to secure gold medals in both the men’s and women’s categories.
In the men’s final, WAPDA and Army battled in a closely fought encounter. WAPDA staged an impressive comeback during crucial moments of the game, ultimately defeating Army 56–48 to claim the title.
In the third-place match, Air Force displayed strong form to overpower Punjab 89–67 and secure bronze. The women’s final also showcased WAPDA’s dominance as they produced an exceptional performance, defeating Punjab 50–36 to clinch the gold medal. Punjab defeated Sindh 54–32 to earn bronze.
