ISLAMABAD, Aug 02 (APP): Pakistan’s Fizza put up a good show at the World University Games but failed to meet the standards of her opponent, conceding defeat in the quarterfinal of 52kg weight category of wushu in Chengdu on Wednesday.
In the quarterfinal, Fizza fought hard against Turkmenistan’s Gurbangeldiyeva Aygozel. But despite her best attempts the promising Pakistani athlete could not get over the line.
Her coach Muhammad Asif told APP that Fizza had all the necessary ingredients to emerge as a formidable wushu athlete but lacked the international exposure.
“The win would have been a great achievement but she lost while fighting hard. I believe lack of international experience is the major reason of her defeat. But this is the beginning of a career. The more exposure she will get, the better she will perform,” he said.
“She is the gold medal winner in the recently-held National Games in Quetta. But there is a big difference between playing at the national level and performing at the international level,” he added.
Asif said he had been closely monitoring Fizza’s performance and technique, and would try to incorporate new things in her training.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has fielded five women athletes – Amtul Rehman, Uzma Azam, Manisha Ali, Maliha Ali and Fizza – to represent Pakistan at the 12-day prestigious Games that began on July 28 in Chengdu.
Amtul Rehman, who is a student of Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), is participating in long jump and triple jump events of the Games. Uzma Azam of Government College Women University Faisalabad will showcase her skills in the hammer throw. Lahore Garrison University’s Manisha and Maliha are vying in the taekwondo event, while Fizza chipped in the wushu event.
The Chengdu 2021 Universiade feature 269 events across 18 sports. The Games suffered two postponements as the COVID-19 pandemic created a significant hurdle that posed substantial challenges for the preparatory work.
Around 6,500 athletes (3,512 men and 2,988 women) from 113 countries and regions are competing in 269 events of 18 sports at World Games, scheduled to conclude on August 8.