Pakistani badminton stars Murad Ali and Mahoor Shahzad triumphed at the 61st National Badminton Championship, securing the men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively.
In a gripping men’s final, Murad Ali of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa edged out Pakistan Army’s Anjum Bashir in straight sets, with scores of 21-19 and 21-18.
On the women’s side, Mahoor Shahzad of WAPDA defeated her teammate Ghazala Siddiqui in a closely contested match, winning 21-16 and 22-20. This victory marked Mahoor’s eighth consecutive national title, solidifying her position as Pakistan’s top badminton player.
Reflecting on her achievement, Mahoor revealed, “I recently became a mother and was advised to rest for four months. The doctors told me to skip the championship, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the title without a fight.” Despite the challenges of balancing motherhood and training, Mahoor remains determined to improve her world ranking: “I’ve missed international events, but now I’m focused on participating in as many competitions as possible.”
The doubles matches also brought excitement. Raja Muhammad Hasnain and Raja Zulqarnain Haider from the Army overcame WAPDA’s Murad Ali and Azeem Sarwar in straight sets (21-11, 21-13).
In the women’s doubles, Saima Waqas and Ammarah Ishtiaq from WAPDA and the Army defeated Palwasha Bashir and Ghazala Siddiqui in a thrilling three-set contest (10-21, 21-17, 21-16).
The mixed doubles saw WAPDA’s M. Ali Larosh claim victory over Zunain Javed in a nail-biting match (21-19), while SNGPL’s Zubaira Islam triumphed against Palwasha Bashir with the same scoreline.
