PARIS: Teenager Ahmed Durrani believes Pakistan swimming is on its way to improvement as he vows to perform better at the 2028 Olympics, aiming to qualify directly for the mega event. The 18-year-old competed in the 200m freestyle event, finishing last in his heat with a time of 1:58.67 minutes, far from his personal best.
Jehanara Nabi, 20, also participated in the women’s 200m freestyle event, finishing third in her heat and overall 26th out of 30 swimmers. She too did not manage to clock her best time.
Both youngsters were participating on universality spots, and they are among the best swimmers Pakistan has to offer.
“It means a lot to me that I got to perform at the Olympics; it really was a dream come true,” Durrani told this correspondent. “The reality is that you don’t really know what it’s like until you stand on the block. You can’t prepare enough or imagine the feeling until you are there.
“I spoke to other Olympians, and they said the same thing. The magnitude of it all, with over 100,000 people watching you, is a great moment.”
Durrani described his experience at La Defense Arena: “Time slows down; everything seems to be in slow motion. I could hear my heartbeat; it sped up and slowed down. I could barely hear my name being called.
“The closest way I can explain it is that time goes slowly, and I could feel the blood rushing to my head. It was a good feeling.”
Even though he finished last, Durrani aims to be an ambassador for Pakistan and inspire others to start swimming.
The UAE-based athlete plans to keep working hard and qualify directly for the 2028 Olympics.
“We participated on the universality quota this time. Of course, I want to qualify directly next time,” Durrani added.
When asked why Pakistan is lagging behind compared to other countries, he was quick to disagree.
“We are not very far behind; we are on a learning curve. Yes, there has been a stagnant period in the past, but our target is to be among the top 20 countries in the world,” Durrani said enthusiastically.
According to him, Pakistan needs more facilities, better equipment, and greater awareness about swimming, not just as a sport but as a survival skill.
“We have so much potential in Pakistan. We can have great swimmers, but there is a lack of awareness about swimming as an activity, not just as a sport. It should be taught to all as a survival skill. So many people in Pakistan die of drowning. I hope my participation can inspire the Pakistani youth to pick up swimming,” he said.
Looking to the future, Durrani feels his young age gives him an advantage to explore more options.
“I’m young, and there are four more years. Who knows, I might want to compete in 100m or 200m events. A swimmer’s peak usually begins at age 24, so I have time,” he said.
Durrani has been swimming for almost 15 years and has a passion for the sport.
Besides the competition, Durrani said the experience at the Paris Games has been amazing. He praised the athletes’ village for its exquisite facilities and spoke of the camaraderie he found with Nepalese, Bangladeshi, and French coaches and athletes.
Meanwhile, in other sports, Kishmala Talar and Gulfam Joseph will be competing in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre on Monday morning.
Kishmala finished 31st in the 10m air pistol women’s event, while Gulfam had a disappointing run in the men’s 10m air pistol event compared to his Tokyo Olympics campaign on Saturday.
Gulfam finished 22nd, seven points behind Germany’s Robin Walter, who qualified for the final.
