Pakistani sprinter Faiqa Riaz and shooter Kishmala Talat will compete at the Paris Olympics on Friday. Faiqa will race at the Stade de France, while Kishmala will shoot at the Chateauroux shooting center, nearly four hours away.
So far, Pakistan has not achieved standout performances, despite high expectations for the shooters.
Faiqa is participating in the Games on a universality quota, while Kishmala became the first Pakistani woman to qualify directly for the Olympics, a milestone she reached in January. Kishmala will compete in the 10m air pistol women’s event and the 10m air pistol mixed team event with Gulfam Joseph.
Pakistan’s delegation includes seven athletes—four men and three women.
“I’m very excited to compete in Paris,” Faiqa said at the Paris Olympics Athletes Village after her training. “I’m focusing solely on my performance and not engaging much socially. Everything is geared towards preparing for August 2.”
Faiqa will run in the preliminary round of the women’s 100m track event, joining 91 athletes. The top three from each heat and the next five fastest will advance to the next round.
“I will do my best,” said the 24-year-old, without disclosing her target time.
Without her coach Fiaz Ahmed, Faiqa has been seeking guidance online.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Kishmala will compete in the 25m pistol event, marking Pakistan’s first female participation in this Olympic event. Her participation has opened doors for more Pakistani shooters in the 10m air pistol team event and 25m air pistol event.
Kishmala will compete in the qualification round at 9:00 am local time, with the top eight advancing to the final at noon.
Kishmala, GM Bashir, and Joseph are training at the Chateauroux shooting center with their coach.
Chef de Mission and Pakistan Handball Federation President Muhammad Shafiq noted that the shooters had a better chance in the Tokyo Olympics compared to the current Paris Games, due to previous Covid-19 restrictions. Despite this, he expressed pride in the Pakistani athletes.
Following August 2, GM Bashir will compete in rapid-fire pistol on August 4. Arshad Nadeem will first compete in javelin throw qualification on August 6, followed by the final on August 8.
