SYDNEY: 24 Pakistani and Pakistani-origin runners will take part in the Sydney Marathon on Sunday, 30 August, joining more than 40,000 participants from around the world in one of the world’s major international marathons.
The Pakistani delegation consists of 19 men and five women, with participants based in Pakistan, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.
Twelve runners have travelled from Pakistan to compete in the race. The runners from Karachi are Khalid Sheikh, Dr Jahanzeb Mughal, Nosherwan Ali, Shoaib Nizami, Ali Qazi, Danish Elahi, Husnain Dharamsey and Yousuf Malik.
The women representing the Pakistani delegation are Kaukab Sarwar, Dr Rabia Naeem, Mehwish Bilal, Hira Diwan and Syeda Maimoona Hamdani.
Other Pakistani runners include Ali Zaidi, Amir Butt, Qamar Zia, Junaid Memon, Zain Alam, Naveed Hasan, Umer Rashid, Tabish Mukhtar, Mir Shahzad and Dr Adnan Afzal.
Danish Elahi will represent Pakistan in his unique way, taking part in the race wearing a traditional shalwar kameez.
He said he aimed to promote a positive image of Pakistan and show his love for his country.
“I am running in shalwar kameez tomorrow. I want to create some soft image for Pakistan and create awareness for my beloved country. This is my seventh marathon and I’m super excited for this. Sydney is a city to run in. Pakistan Zindabad!” Elahi said.
The 42.195-kilometre race will begin in North Sydney and take runners across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and through landmarks including The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour before finishing near the Sydney Opera House.
Former British Deputy High Commissioner Mike Nithavrianakis is also participating in the marathon; although he is not officially part of the Pakistani delegation, he is using the marathon to raise USD one million for The Citizens Foundation (TCF), a Pakistani education charity.
Despite an injury, his goal is to raise awareness for TCF and fund 6,000 new education places for Pakistani children. His participation adds a meaningful Pakistan-related story to the Sydney Marathon event.
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Written by Aleena Khan
Aleena is a sports writer at Sports Manch, with a keen interest in cricket and sports journalism. Her work focuses on creative storytelling, feature writing, and SEO content, with an emphasis on producing clear, engaging, and well-researched stories. She is passionate about exploring compelling sports narratives and continues to develop her skills as a versatile and impactful writer.