Pakistan's Malaika Noor makes judo history with silver at Asian Open

Pakistani athlete Malaika Noor has written her name in the history books after securing a silver medal at the Amman Asian Open Judo Championship 2025, becoming the first Pakistani woman to win a medal at an Asian-level judo event.

Taking part in the 52kg category, the 20-year-old judoka left no stone unturned and delivered a strong performance throughout the tournament. Her run included a convincing win over Jordan’s Raneem Aljazazi in the semi-final.

However, she narrowly missed out on the gold, losing by the skin of her teeth to her Saudi opponent in a closely contested final.

The athlete has been one of Pakistan’s most promising Judokas, courtesy of her consistent performances across various competitions. She also represented Pakistan at the World Junior Judo Championship in Dushanbe last year.

“The President of Pakistan Judo Federation, Col. Junaid Alam, along with the entire federation, extended heartfelt appreciation for her historic achievement,” the federation said in a statement.

Besides her, three Pakistani Judokas, including Noor Khan and Muhammad Abbas Khalil, flared until the pre-quarter finals in their respective categories.

18-year-old Noor, who was representing Balochistan and Pakistan Navy in the 60kg, won his preliminary round fight against Jordan’s Mohammad Almashaqbeh but suffered defeat against Burundi’s Raoul Brillant Nganji in the next round.

Similarly, Abbas also had a flying start to the competition as he outclassed Jordan’s Khader Alwraikat in the preliminary round of the 73kg category, but was later defeated by Lebanon‘s Ghady Moussa in the pre-quarterfinal.

Furthermore, a rising 17-year-old Judoka from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who was competing in his first international event, thumped Jordan’s Mohammad Almseden in his opening fight before losing to Bahrain’s R. Poltoratskii in the Last 16.