Pakistan boxer Afzal Khan bowed out of the 23rd Commonwealth Games after suffering a narrow defeat in the men’s 65kg Round of 16 contest at The Hydro on Sunday evening.
Afzal, who had impressed in his opening bout, fought valiantly but went down 29-27 to Canada’s Laurie Gabrial in a closely contested three-round encounter. The Pakistani boxer displayed determination and courage throughout the contest, matching his opponent for long periods before the Canadian edged the judges’ verdict to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Despite the defeat, Afzal’s campaign reflected encouraging signs as he became the first Pakistani boxer to reach the knockout stage before making his exit. His aggressive approach and resilience kept the contest evenly balanced, but Gabrial capitalised on crucial moments in the final round to secure victory.
Meanwhile, Pakistan enjoyed success in the lawn bowls competition, defeating Fiji 2-0 in a Pool match to strengthen their position in the race for a place in the knockout stage. The Pakistani pair produced a disciplined performance, controlling the match from the outset and maintaining their composure to register an important victory.
There was also a memorable moment in the swimming pool as Hamza Asif produced the fastest performance by a Pakistani in the men’s 50 metres breaststroke. Competing in his heat, Hamza clocked an impressive 29.30 seconds, setting a new national record while finishing first in his race.
However, despite the record-breaking effort, Hamza was unable to progress to the semi-finals as his overall time was not among the fastest across all heats, highlighting the exceptionally high standard of competition at the Games.
Pakistan’s athletes will continue their Commonwealth Games campaign on Monday in several disciplines, hoping to keep their medal aspirations alive after a mixed day of results in Glasgow.
