Pakistan finish with 14 gold medals in LA

KARACHI: Jahanzeb and Mehmoona bagged badminton mixed doubles gold as Pakistan concluded their journey with 14 gold in the Special Olympics which ended in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Jahanzeb and Mehmoona did a fine job to win gold in the division five badminton slots.
Amjad Islam clinched silver with a 3.24 metre long jump. In the same event, Saqib Wasim won bronze with a 3.27 metre jump.
In 4x100m relay, Pakistan’s men finished sixth in division six, while Pakistan’s women ended fourth in division four 4x100m competitions.
In tennis men’s singles, Arif Qayyum got silver and Ahsan Anwar grabbed bronze medal. They had also claimed men’s doubles gold the other day.
Aqeel Shabbir of Karachi coached them for eight and a half months. Pakistan’s unified basketball team also put up an impressive show and secured silver. Coach Daniyal Alvi, who was assisted by SM Tanveer and Arif Hasan, was instrumental in his players’ success, an official of Pakistan’s contingent said.
In table tennis mixed doubles, Faisal Khursheed and Ruqia achieved bronze medal.
In 4x25m freestyle relay swimming slots, Pakistan finished fourth.
As many as 55 special athletes from Pakistan participated in the prestigious world event.
The chairperson Special Olympics Pakistan (SOP) Ronak Lakhani congratulated the medallists. Ronak said the way they performed was impressive.
Pakistan featured in nine disciplines and secured medals in eight. Pakistan will return empty-handed only in power-lifting.
Pakistan featured in tennis after eight years. The last time they played tennis in these competitions was at Shanghai World Games in 2007.
Both Arif and Ahsan were so impressive that former tennis star Pete Sampras played a few shots with them. Former French Open champion Michel Chang of America also appreciated their game during his visit to the tennis arena.
Pakistan’s contingent will return on Monday (today) in three separate flights, to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Besides 14 gold, Pakistan also grabbed 11 silver and eight bronze medals.