THE crisp December air was festive at the KHA Hockey Complex as blue skies played canvas to clouds clouds imitating no less than an artist’s work.
The view above contrasted smoothly with the expanse of the deep blue of the astroturf of the venue, located in the midst of the sprawling Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
As buses honked relentlessly at the ever-bustling Nipa after having swished dust off the perpetually under-construction University Road, hockey took centre stage on the other side of the wall.
It was the day when the gold medal winners for the national sport at the National Games were to be decided.
There were no surprises; it were heavyweights Wapda and Army who added to their already stacked medals table to take the honours in the women’s and men’s finals respectively.
Each achievement was celebrated with maximum zeal, as the announcer shouted his heart out even for the silver medal winners Punjab and Navy.
The screams got louder as Wapda and Army received their gold medals.
It was a second gold for Wapda’s talisman Sidra Mateen, who scored both their goals in their 2-1 victory over Punjab.
She had already won a gold medal as a basketball player earlier.
“I started with cricket as most girls do but then stayed where my financial needs were met,” Sidra told Dawn after the final.
The 28-year-old lost the hockey final of the previous edition of the National Games in 2023, as a Punjab player was roped in by Wapda later on.
“As a young athlete, you just want to play anything you can, it’s all about passion,” she said. “But when you grow up, survival is the focus and a job with the department really helps.”
After the women’s final ended and the prizes distributed, the announcer requested the players on the field to “hurry up” off it.
“We have to conduct another match,” he would say, and the Navy and Army players would take on to the turf to warm up.
In no time, the whistle was blown, and the big match got underway. As a sparse crowd of spectators and dignitaries looked on, both sides stayed compact and took a counterattacking approach when the chances arrived.
It was hectic for three of the four quarters in both dugouts as coaches shouted instructions in thick Punjabi accents.
The drought was finally broken when Army scored via their third penalty corner through Mohammad Owais. Navy equalised minutes later from open play, thanks to Samad Habib but their dream for gold was shattered when Owais scored the winner in the dying minutes of the game.
As the Army players chanted, sang and danced, the Navy faces were flat and hanging down with disappointment and sadness.
The announcer was back in action, and the medals were distributed.
As the sun set, it left behind stunning hues of blue and orange in the sky.
The turf below, was now empty. But it had witnessed being part of the coming together of 11,000 athletes from all over the country in this city — the hustle of which continued as buses still honked and dust still rose at the Nipa stop.
Header image: Wapda players celebrate winning the women’s hockey gold medal. — all photos by author
