Abdullah loses to Tajik wrestler in Istanbul

LAHORE: Pakistan’s mission in the wrestling qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday ended on a disappointing note when Mohammad Abdullah exited at the first hurdle in the World Qualifying round in Istanbul.

Rookie Abdullah, who had made his debut at the senior level only last month in the Asian Championship in Bishkek, lost his 65 kilogramme fight against Tajikistan’s Kudiev Abdulmazhid 10-0.

Pakistan fielded only one wrestler in this event after the country’s seasoned grappler Mohammad Bilal got injured during training in Pakistan and his entry was withdrawn by the Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) at the last moment.

Kudiev then went on to defeat Kenya’s Davies Ochieng Oriwa 12-0 in the pre-quarter-finals. However, he lost to Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir 9-0 in the quarter-final and was exited.

With this, the chances for Pakistan wrestlers to qualify for Olympics ended. It was a frustrating stint for the national grapplers overall as during the last nine months Pakistani fighters failed to do anything noteworthy.

Pakistan fielded three wrestlers including Mohammad Inam, Mohammad Bilal and Youth Olympics bronze medallist Inayatullah in the World Championship in Serbia in September 2023 but the trio were exited at the first hurdle despite having undergone a two-week training organized by the United World Wrestling (UWW) at the same venue.

The World Championship was the first phase of the Olympics Qualifiers. Pakistan then fielded four wrestlers including Mohammad Bilal, Asadullah, Mohammad Abdullah and Zaman Anwar in the Asian Qualifiers held in Bishkek last month but there too they failed to deliver.

Asadullah was the only wrestler who won his 74 kg first fight while the rest of the wrestlers fell at the first hurdle. Mohammad Inam was also part of the initial squad but he skipped the Asian Qualifiers as well as the Asian Championship held just a week before the Qualifiers in the same city due to injury which he sustained during training in Bishkek which forced him to return home.

Quite interestingly in the Asian Championship in Bishkek last month, which was a prelude to the Asian Qualifiers, Pakistan fielded six wrestlers but all were shown exit doors at the first hurdle.

It means in the last 14 fights which the country’s wrestlers played in three qualifying events and Asian Championship Pakistan won just a single fight. Barring a UWW-managed joint training in Serbia just ahead of the World Championship in Serbia in 2023 only three wrestlers were sent to US for an event where Bilal and Zaman Anwar underwent training for a few days.

The authorities provided a month-long camp to the wrestlers for the Asian Qualifiers in Ramadan which was a fruitless exercise. “Unless and until state and relevant wrestling authorities make long-term ambitious plans for the wrestling development Pakistan cannot do anything in world wrestling,” a seasoned wrestler told The News.

“If you are not ready then why do you send wrestlers to the Qualifiers,” the wrestler questioned. Besides a handful of athletes who have already qualified for the Paris Olympics national boxers are set to make their last-ditch effort when they feature in the final world qualifying round to begin in Thailand latter this month.

Pakistan No2 javelin thrower and Asian bronze medallist Mohammad Yasir Sultan is expected to qualify as he will press his muscles in an event in Korea next month. He will need to manage a throw of 85.50 metre, a standard set by the World Athletics.