Karachi, 22 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan WAPDA delivered a dominant performance on the opening day of the Lok Sahaaita 54th National Athletics Championships 2026, securing six of the seven gold medals on offer. National record-holder Shajar Abbas claimed the men’s 100-metre title in 10.20 seconds, earning recognition as Pakistan’s fastest man. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Attaullah finished second, while HEC’s Haseeb secured the bronze medal. In the women’s 100 metres, WAPDA’s Faiqa Riaz won gold in 11.56 seconds to claim the title of Pakistan’s fastest woman. HEC’s Hawla took silver, while Sindh’s Iqra Riaz finished third. Sindh’s Mah Noor Fatima won the first gold medal of the championship in the women’s 5,000-metre race walk, completing the event in 32 minutes and 32.40 seconds. WAPDA’s Amara Munawar secured silver, while Punjab’s Saira claimed bronze. WAPDA’s Muhammad Waqas won gold in the men’s 20-kilometre race walk, followed by Pakistan Navy’s Muhammad Younis Khan in second place and WAPDA’s Muhammad Gulfam in third. HEC’s Khadija Mehreen, representing Superior University Lahore, won the women’s shot put with a throw of 10.85 metres. WAPDA’s Samia Sahar and Amna Ashiq finished second and third, respectively. WAPDA continued its strong showing in the middle-distance events, with Nazia Ehsan winning the women’s 1,500 metres in 5 minutes and 9.78 seconds. HEC’s Gonash Batool took silver, while teammate Javeria Bibi secured bronze. In the men’s 1,500 metres, Sohail Amir earned another gold medal for WAPDA, while HEC’s Abdul Wahab finished second and WAPDA’s Muhammad Akram took third place. The opening day’s results highlighted WAPDA’s strength across sprinting, race walking, throwing and middle-distance running, setting a competitive tone for the remainder of the national championships.