She advanced to the -60kg semi-finals after defeating Algeria’s Hamda Melissa 5-0.
The moment Pakistani boxer Fatima Zahra won the quarter-final of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, November 6. PHOTO CREDIT: PAKISTAN BOXING FEDERATION
KARACHI:
Boxer Fatima Zahra confirmed the first medal for Pakistan in the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
She advanced to the -60kg semi-finals on Thursday night as she defeated her Algerian opponent, Hamda Melissa, 5-0 in the quarter-final match.
She closed her place among the last four and consequently, confirmed the bronze medal. The medal will be hers even if she loses her next match.
“Our medal was confirmed, she was very humble and represented Pakistan but now she is really performing better than before, she is in great form,” Pakistan Boxing Federation secretary Major Irfan Younis told The Express Tribune. “She is a very hardworking athlete and finally her efforts are paying off, she confirmed the bronze medal with this victory.
“We hope for great results in the semi-final as well.”
She belongs to Sargodha and is involved in boxing since 2018. She is an athlete of Pakistan Army.
He represented Pakistan earlier in the Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers.
She cemented her place as the top female boxer to represent the country, being the national champion in her weight class for the past four years.
On Thursday, she dominated her match and got 10 points from all five judges in the first round compared to Melissa, who put up quite a fight but went down.
The second round was hers too, with only the three judges giving her nine points and Melissa 10, while the rest again gave a verdict in favor of Fatima with 10 points each.
The decision came down to the third round, which Fatima also dominated, receiving 10 points each from all five judges, despite Melissa putting up a valiant fight.
Pakistan’s boxing team for the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025, Fatima is second from left. PHOTO: PBF
The Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) fielded four boxers, including Maria Reed, who lost in the women’s 51kg quarter-final after a close fight.
Pakistan’s third boxer, UK-based Laura Jinda Akram, lost her quarter-final match at 67kg.
Apart from Fatima, Kundratullah remains in the competition.
Kudrat will open his campaign in the men’s 55kg quarter-final on Saturday, while Fatima’s semi-final schedule will be announced at a later date.
They are accompanied by coach Nisar Lahori.
The boxers trained at Army facilities for three months.
It was fascinating to note that Pakistan was sending more women boxers as compared to men.
“Pakistan women have more potential to win medals for us than the men at this point when we look at the international standards. Our boys are also very talented but if we look at the pool, the women can do better,” Younis explained.
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