Umar Saeed, a 34-year-old design engineer from Pakistan living in the United States, has his eyes set on representing his homeland as a track athlete.
Several Pakistani athletes living abroad have been given the opportunity to showcase their talents in the national football and baseball teams.
This has created space for others like Saeed, who are full of potential, to showcase their skills and contribute to Pakistan’s representation internationally.
Hailing from Gujarat in Punjab, Syed has similar ambitions. His incredible performance in the marathon held in the United States has brought him to the attention of the Pakistani running community. Saeed completed the prescribed distance in an impressive time of two hours, 22 minutes and 41 seconds, an exceptional feat among the elite standard of running.
The record for the full marathon in Pakistan is two hours and 14 minutes, held by Nasir Ahmed in 2003, but only once in the last 10 years has an athlete completed it in less than two hours and 22 minutes. Israr, a Pakistani athlete, accomplished this feat in 2015.
Umar is speaking worldly news In an interview, he said that he loved running right from his school days and broke several records at the school level. He also ran during his university days and was a state champion.
The athlete, who has been training regularly for the marathon for the past three years, said the way foreign players get a chance to represent Pakistan in football and other sports also encouraged him to participate.
“Those who come for training from abroad can not only bring success to Pakistan but also contribute to the development of the game of young players,” he said.
In response to a question, the athlete said that it is an honor for him to represent Pakistan. “If I get a chance to represent Pakistan athletics, it will be a great honor for me. I will try to use my training and understanding of marathons to make Pakistan shine.”
Umar said that he wanted the Pakistan Athletics Federation to give him a chance, so that he could take his experience forward for the country.
He added that his short-term goal is to qualify for the Olympics, while he wants to steer young athletes into athletics in the long term.
To qualify for the Olympics, Umar must finish his marathon in at least two hours and eight minutes. He hopes to cross this milestone with intensive training.
