Pakistan wins two more medals at Tent Pegging World Cup

KARACHI: Pakistan won two more models on the second day of the Tent Pegging World Cup in South Africa.

The “Green Shirts” secured a silver medal in the sword category. Meanwhile, rider Wajahatullah won the bronze medal, for best individual player with a high score of 40.

However, the team narrowly missed turning these two medals into golds due to missed targets in the final team round on Friday.

During the competition, participants used swords to pierce, retrieve, and move targets from their positions.

The Pakistan team, comprising Irfan Mehmood, Nasir Abbas, Wajahatullah, and Tasawur Abbas, showcased exceptional skills, establishing an early lead in the competition during the individual swords round.

In this stage, all four riders completed two individual runs in the Tent Pegging World Cup. After the first round, Pakistan secured 36 points, edging ahead of Saudi Arabia with 35.6 points and Egypt with 33.5 points out of a maximum 48.

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Pakistan maintained their dominance in the pair rounds, where riders engaged the targets in pairs.

Meanwhile, following the second team stage run, Pakistan appeared set for a gold medal by surpassing Saudi Arabia. However, a missed target by Mehmood and Abbas in the last run secured Saudi Arabia a clear of 6.5 point lead.

At the end of the day, Pakistan accumulated 132 points, trailing Saudi Arabia, which clinched 138.5 points. India secured the third position in the Sword category with 126.5 points.

Mehmood could have secured the individual sword gold medal outright if not for the missed target, settling for 36 points. Oman’s Safwan Al Mamri claimed the silver medal with 41 points.

In a closely contested ride-out, Pakistan’s Wajahatullah, Hassan Omar Asri, and Abdul Wahab Yahya each earned 40 points. Ultimately, Asri secured the silver medal, while Wajahatullah secured the bronze medal after the play-off ride-outs.

Pakistan’s strong performance on the second day propelled them to the second position in the championship table, accumulating a total of 276 points. Saudi Arabia held the lead with 292.5 points.

Looking ahead, the Pakistani horsemen are gearing up for six different runs on the third day. The upcoming stages include Rings and Peg, followed by Lemon and Peg, and concluding with lance and sword relays.

The Pakistani contingent remains confident in their pursuit of the championship medal, aiming to excel over the course of the overall 20 runs.

Additionally, Mehmood remains a contender for the overall best athlete’s award, amassing 76 points over two days. He trails Saudi Arabia’s Hassan Omar at 82 points and Rashed Hamad Almarri with 78 points.