Lahore (Sports Desk): Pakistan secured its first medal at the 2026 Asian Games, with Karachi’s Asim Khan winning a bronze medal in mixed martial arts.
Asim Khan suffered defeat in the semifinals; however, under the competition rules, he was declared eligible for the bronze medal. His medal ceremony will be held tomorrow, while Asim Khan will return to Karachi on Wednesday.
Team leader Dilawar Khan said that Asim Khan had started the medal tally for Pakistan and expressed hope that national athletes would win more medals in other events. According to him, this is Asim Khan’s first medal at the Asian Games, while he had previously won a world bronze medal and an Asian silver medal.
On the other hand, the performances of other Pakistani athletes were not impressive. In the 50-meter freestyle swimming event, Hamza Asif finished second in his heat but secured 30th position in the overall rankings.
In the mixed triathlon, the Pakistani team finished last and was declared “NDF” after failing to complete the event within the stipulated time. In soft tennis mixed doubles, Pakistan suffered defeats against Chinese Taipei, Korea and the Philippines, while in the women’s table tennis group event, traditional rivals India defeated Pakistan.