Bisma improves personal best substantially

KARACHI: Pakistan’s promising young female swimmer Bisma Khan on Friday improved her personal best timing when she clocked 27.78 seconds in the 50 metre freestyle competition in the Tokyo Olympics.

Bisma surpassed her previous best timing of 27.90 seconds which was also a national record. It means she has set a new national record.

She finished 56th out of 81 swimmers who took part in the event held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

The top 16 made it to the semi-finals.

Bisma’s father Khalid Zaman was very happy with her achievement. “Yes, she swam outstandingly,” Khalid told ‘The News’ from Lahore. “Training in Russia helped her a lot and it’s a great job. You know swimming is very tough and here boosting your performance by fractions is counted. I think it’s a great effort,” he said.

He said that Bisma would be well-prepared for the future events. “Our main focus is on the 14th South Asian Games which Pakistan will host in 2023. We want Bisma to take gold in that event. She also has a medal chance in the Islamic Games,” Khalid said.

Khalid has been doing a great job in the development of his daughters as swimmers. Bisma’s elder sister Kiran is also an Olympian, having featured in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Khalid has built a swimming pool for his children at his home in Lahore where he himself trains them. Khalid thanked Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) for selecting and backing Bisma.

The PSF had sent Bisma to Russia for a couple of years where she underwent training in a major academy in Kazan as part of FINA Development Programme.

With Bisma’s event, Pakistan ended their swimming journey in Tokyo. Haseeb Tariq had finished 62nd in the 100m freestyle competition on July 27. He failed to improve his personal best timing.

Bisma is the seventh Pakistan player to exit Tokyo Olympics so far.

Pakistan’s two shooters will play on August 1, athlete Najma Parveen will feature in 200 metre race on August 2 and javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem will take part in the qualifying event of javelin throw on August 4. If he qualifies, he will feature in the finals on August 7.