Pakistan clinched the Gold medal in Beach Kabaddi at the 2016 Asian Beach Games after defeating arch rival India 30-28 on the seventh day of the tournament.
The final of the event was organized in Da Nang, Vietnam on Tuesday. The defeat is a major shock for India and is seen as a setback for the Kabaddi World Cup, which is due to start next month.
The Pakistani team won the semi-final against South Korea in a thrilling match with a score of 35-31 and advanced to the final to face their South East Asian rivals on Tuesday. In the second semi-final, India brought down Sri Lanka (49-26). This is the first Gold medal for Pakistan in the ongoing 2016 Asian Beach Games.
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Depending mostly on their defence, Pakistan took a 16-11 lead at the end of the first half. India came back strong in the second half and scored 17 points compared to Pakistan’s 14 but could not manage to win.
Ali Nasir, the Pakistani Kabaddi team captain along with veterans Hussain Ikhlaq and Imran Muhammad ensured the Pakistani win. “It was an amazing victory for us, and we were confident of our performance; we really dominated the match,” Nasir told to the Express Tribune. He also acknowledged the importance of the first half that helped Pakistan win the final, “We had a strong first half, and India couldn’t catch us.”
Pakistan finished as the runners-up in the last two editions of the Asian Beach Games in 2012 and 2014. “We are ecstatic that we won our first kabaddi medal in the Asian Beach Games since we had before faltered in the final,” said the Pakistani captain. “It is also Pakistan’s first gold this year so that makes it even more special,” he further added.
The winning Pakistani team members were greeted by the President of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) Lt Gen (R) Syed Arif Hassan and Secretary Khalid Mehmood.
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Unsure of World Cup participation
However, despite being crowned the champions, it is not yet clear if Pakistan will be participating in the forthcoming Kabaddi World Cup in India. Pakistan Kabaddi Federation Secretary Muhammad Sarwar said they are optimistic about participating in the tournament. He also expressed his opinion that the political situation between two countries should not come between sports.
“The sports community has got nothing to do with politics — we are hoping for the best, we’ve sent in our documents and it is just a matter of getting clearance from India,” the Secretary said.
He also feels that missing out on the World Cup will be tough for the Pakistani players and viewers.
The Kabaddi World Cup starts on October 7 in Gujarat.
Indian Women's Beach Kabaddi team wins Gold medal
On the other hand, the Indian women's Beach Kabaddi team clinched Gold after defeating Thailand in the final earlier. The Indian team defeated Thailand 41-31 as the hosts dropped down to the fourth position in the medals tally.
The Indian women's Beach Kabaddi team has now set the record of winning five consecutive Gold medals at the Asian Beach Games since 2008. Incidentally, they have defeated Thailand every time to clinch the Gold medal.
