National cycling champion Sabia Abbat: an inspiration to Pakistani women

PESHAWAR: (Muniba Mahmood) - Sabia Abbat grew up with a passion for cycling and was not stopped by the perception that cycling is not something women in Pakistan do.

Born and bred in Haripur, Sabia became the first woman from Hazara division to win the National Cycling Championship in 2013.

Being a sports enthusiast at college where she represented the institution in various competitions helped. She saw a cycling competition in 2011 in Pania where the women could barely ride bikes and decided that this was a skill she wanted to learn.

Back home, in Haripur, she practiced on her uncle’s cycle, fell a lot but kept at it.

The cycling championship has nine events, six of which are held on a velodrome while three are on the road. Haripur has no facilities for training in cycling so for serious practice Sabia has to travel to Lahore.

Since 1996, when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cycling Association (KPCA) was formed, Sabia Abbat is the first woman to excel at the sport.

Sabia holds a Bachelor’s degree in physical education. She has been a National Champion, an army athlete and an inspiration and her journey is far from over.