Pakistan wins first medal in Birmingham Commonwealth Games

Karachi: Pakistan opened its medal account in Birmingham Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as judoka Shah Hussain Shah downed his South African opponent to secure the Bronze medal.

Shah entered the bronze medal bout after losing his first round earlier in the 90kg category. This was his first ever 90kg event as the Pakistani player has always played in the 100kg category.

He was up against South Africa’s Thomas-Laszlo Breytnbach for the medal contest. After initial hiccups, Shah successfully downed his opponent to win the contest on ippon in less than three minutes.

This is Pakistan’s first medal in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and Shah’s second medal in the event. He had earlier won a silver medal in the 2014 edition of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The 20-year-old son of Olympic bronze medalist boxer Hussain Shah has also won two gold medals for Pakistan in the South Asian Games.