INCHEON: Boxer Mohammad Waseem claimed an Asian Games medal just seconds into his quarter-final after winning on a technical knockout while the Pakistan kabbadi team advanced to the semi-finals on Monday when the volleyball team also won.

Pakistan also came close to winning a medal in wrestling but Mohammad Asad Butt lost his bronze medal match to Lee Sangkyu in the 74kg freestyle category while three-time Olympian Khurram Inam was less than inspiring in the skeet shooting event.

The table tennis team also endured a tough day as Pakistan crashed out of the mixed doubles and women’s doubles event but Monday’s highlight was Waseem’s victory.

Waseem, who won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this year, is assured of at least a bronze medal but the 27-year-old is hoping for more.

“My aim is to reach the final,” a delighted Waseem told reporters after his bout at the Seonhak Gymnasium. “It will be difficult but being a boxer, I always love a challenge.”

Waseem will face Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov in the semi-final after his last-eight flyweight match against Kyrgyzstan’s Azat Usenaliev lasted just 28 seconds.

Waseem started swiftly, landing a flurry of punches but an accidental clash of heads with Azat meant the Kyrgyz suffered a nasty gash above his eye and was unable to continue.

With the head clash happening just seconds into the bout, Bulgarian referee Borisova Dzula had no option but to award a TKO against Usenaliev.

“The plan was to attack from the very start and it paid off,” Waseem said.

According to Games rules, both losing semi-finalists receive a bronze medal.

Although not assured of a medal yet, Pakistan’s kabbadi team advanced to the semi-final after a 24-11 win over Bangladesh in their second Group ‘A’ match at the Songdo Global University Gymnasium.

Bronze medallists at the last edition of the Games in Guangzhou, Pakistan face arch-rivals and defending champions India in their final group game on Tuesday to decide which team tops the group.

India are hoping to clinch their seventh consecutive gold at the event which was introduced to the Asaid in the 1990 Games in Beijing but Pakistan’s Nasir Ali hopes his side can buck the trend.

“The Indians are very good but we hope to fight it out against them,” he said. “We’ve been following their techniques and working out their weak points. We need to play bravely but at the same time remain composed if we want to win.”

Ajmal Khan continued his rich vein of form as the volleyball team advanced to a classification match for the 9th-12th place against Chinese Taipei after winning 3-0 against Myanmar at the Ansan Sangroksu Gymnasium.

Having scored 20 points in their opening Group ‘H’ game against Turkmenistan on Sunday, Ajmal scored another 17 as Pakistan won the 66-minute match 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 to finish second in the group behind Saudi Arabia.

At the Suwon Gymnasium, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rameez got a walkover against Mongolia’s Lam Long Che in their first-round men’s singles table tennis match but it was a woeful day for his other team-mates.

Mongolia’s Batkhishig Batsaikhan beat Aisha Iqbal 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 in their round-of-64 women’s singles match in the first of three defeats on Monday for the Pakistani player.

Aisha and Rahila Anjum went down 0-3 to India’s Piulomi Ghatak and Ankita Das in the women’s doubles last-32 match while she and Saleem Abbas also lost their last-64 match in the mixed doubles event.

In pouring rain at the Gyeonggido Shooting Range, Khurram fired rounds of 23, 23 and 21 to finish at 21st spot in the pack of 38 shooters in the individual qualification round.

The South Asian record-holder appearing at his third Asian Ga­mes was outdone by his less illustrious team-mate Usman Chand who racked up 68 points to finish in 18th spot. Usman and Khurram will now feature in the skeet team event on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, September 30th , 2014