Sports
Pakistani runners shine at Seychelles nature trail challenge 2025
Pakistani athletes made a strong impression at the Seychelles Nature Trail Challenge 2025 on Saturday, completing one of the region’s most demanding mountain races and earning international recognition for their performance.
Waqar Ahmed from Chitral achieved a landmark victory by finishing the 22-kilometre course in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 30 seconds — setting a new course record.
He outpaced a strong international field on the hilly, rugged terrain of Mahe Island, cementing his place among the event’s elite competitors.
Just minutes behind him, Umer Zaman of Islamabad crossed the line in 2:14 to secure second place. Fellow Pakistani runner Muzammil Shahzad, also from Islamabad, placed fourth overall, adding to the country’s strong showing in the men’s field.
Pakistan’s women runners also made their mark. Lahore’s Anum Uzair emerged as the fastest female finisher from Pakistan with a time of 4:24. Islamabad’s Neelab Kayani followed as the second-fastest Pakistani woman, while Zaira Syed won praise for completing the demanding race, a test of both stamina and determination.
In total, nine athletes represented Pakistan at the event. Among them were journalists who also braved the course. Geo’s Deputy Sports Editor Faizan Lakhani also completed his first trail run successfully, while another journalist Raja Mohsin Ejaz also finished the race, both earning recognition for their efforts on the international stage.
Back home, the team’s performance drew widespread acclaim. Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar congratulated the runners, calling their achievements ‘a source of immense pride for the nation.’
He singled out Waqar Ahmed and Umer Zaman for their podium finishes and praised the contributions of women athletes, noting that “by excelling on one of the world’s toughest trails, our runners have proven that Pakistan’s talent is second to none.”
Organisers also earned plaudits for hosting a successful event. The Seychelles Tourism Department was praised for its arrangements and hospitality, while Vagatales and its chief executive were commended for their coordination and support to international athletes.
For Pakistan, the Seychelles Nature Trail Challenge 2025 was more than a race. It was a statement of grit and endurance that carried the country’s flag across the steep trails of the Indian Ocean nation, underscoring the determination of its athletes to shine on the world stage.
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Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan says his team have no “specific targets” despite producing groundbreaking performances in recent ICC global events, ahead of a T20 international tri-series starting Friday.
Rashid’s men face Pakistan in the opening game in Sharjah, with the United Arab Emirates the other side taking part in the event which serves as a warm-up for next month’s Asia Cup, also in the UAE.
Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean, and narrowly missed out on reaching the last four at the ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan earlier in 2025.
Those performances followed an impressive showing at the 2023 one-day World Cup, when the Afghans produced statement wins over England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“We do not have specific targets, and we do not want to put extra pressure on our players,” Rashid said Thursday when asked if Afghanistan are targeting the Asia Cup title.
“Our target is to play the brand of cricket we have played over the years. For us, the main target is to put in 200% effort on the ground,” he added.
“I think we have been doing well in the ICC events and although we haven’t played T20I cricket over the last few months, the guys have been playing in T20 leagues around the world and that has helped.”
Afghanistan beat Pakistan 2-1 in a T20I series at the same venue in 2023.
The 16-man Afghan squad for the tri-series includes fast-rising mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar along with fellow spin bowlers Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid.
The Asia Cup gets under way on September 9, as teams ramp up their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Contrary to Afghanistan, Pakistan’s fortunes are dipping after they crashed out of the last T20 World Cup in the group stage before failing to win a match at the Champions Trophy.
This year they lost a T20 series in Bangladesh 2-1 but overcame the West Indies by the same margin.
Under new captain Salman Agha, Pakistan are going through a transition with former skippers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan out of the T20 squad.
“We are trying to build a team and this tri-series and then the Asia Cup will be a good opportunity to achieve that,” said Agha.
“We know both these events will be challenging but we are ready.”
All three teams in the tri-series will play each other twice, with the top two to face off in a final on September 7.
Besides Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE, the Asia Cup will also include defending champions India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman and Hong Kong.
Lionel Messi admitted to “playing with fear” as he returned from injury to score twice in Inter Miami’s 3-1 Leagues Cup semifinal win over Florida rivals Orlando City.
Messi converted a 77th-minute penalty at Chase Stadium and then added another goal in the 88th minute — after combining with Jordi Alba — as Miami came back from a goal down to clinch a place in the final.
“I wanted to be here,” Messi said after the game. “When I came back against [LA] Galaxy [on August 17] I felt some discomfort, I didn’t feel comfortable, but I wanted to play the game.
“It was really important to be here because it’s a difficult opponent, they’d beaten us in the two games we played against them this year. In the first half I was playing with a bit of fear, but after that I felt a bit [more] free.”
Orlando had beaten Miami 4-1 when the teams last met on Aug. 11, with Messi absent.
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The Argentina star has been struggling with a muscular injury in his right leg this month, and made a brief return against the Galaxy, before coming back into the team on Wednesday.
Miami will now play Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday, after they defeated LA Galaxy 2-0 in the other semifinal.
It will be Miami’s second appearance in the final in two years, after they won the tournament in 2023, while in 2024 they were eliminated in the round of 16.
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