Naseem Hameed – the fastest woman of South Asia: Celebrating Pakistani Women

Pakistani track and field athlete, Naseem Hameed became the fastest woman of South Asia when she won a gold medal in the 100 meters at the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, clocking at a wild 11.81 seconds.

Naseem Hameed

Naseem began running as a sprinter at the age of 14 at the Government Girls School in Korangi, Karachi. She later represented her college at the National Championships and her consistent performance earned her a spot in the national squad for the 2010 South Asian Games.

In college, she was noticed by Army coaches who allowed her to practice in Army grounds, near Korangi. She was eventually picked by Pakistan Railways as an athlete that led her to the South Asian Games 2010.

Hameed said that the most disappointing factor and the reason behind her quitting the sport was the lack of support from the government and sports authorities.

Pakistani track and field athlete, Naseem Hameed became the fastest woman of South Asia when she won a gold medal in the 100 metres at the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, clocking at a wild 11.81 seconds. This outstanding victory is the reason why she is now commonly known as “The Queen of Tracks”.

On February 12, 2010, President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, appointed Naseem as Ambassador of Sports in recognition of her success at the South Asian Games. Her modest background and lack of funds in the sports industry did not allow her to further train for or participate in the Olympics.

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This caused her to retire as an athlete herself and instead became a coach to other upcoming athletes. Hameed said that the most disappointing factor and the reason behind her quitting the sport was the lack of support from the government and sports authorities.

However, our queen of tracks believes that her biggest achievement yet is Naseem Hameed Sports Academy, which is her own coaching centre, dedicated to training female athletes. In her capacity as coach, Naseem was a major driving force behind the positive impact Pakistani athletes made during the inaugural Street Child Games in Brazil in 2016.