Malaika Secures Silver, a First for Pakistani Women in Asian Judo

KARACHI: Malaika Noor, a 20-year-old Judoka, has made history by winning a silver medal at the Amman Asian Open Judo Championship 2025. This victory marks her as the first Pakistani woman to achieve this honor in an Asian-level judo competition.

Competing in the 52kg division, Noor displayed exceptional skill throughout the event, including a decisive win over Jordan’s Raneem Aljazazi in the semi-final.

However, Noor narrowly missed the gold, facing a close defeat against her Saudi Arabian opponent in the final.

The 20-year-old athlete has emerged as one of Pakistan’s most promising Judokas, distinguished by her consistent high-level performances in various tournaments. She also represented Pakistan at the World Junior Judo Championship in Dushanbe the previous year.

Officials from the Pakistan Judo Federation, including President Col. Junaid Alam, expressed their sincere congratulations for her groundbreaking accomplishment.

In addition to her success, three other Pakistani Judokas, Noor Khan and Muhammad Abbas Khalil, progressed to the pre-quarter finals in their respective weight classes.

Noor, aged 18, representing Balochistan and the Pakistan Navy in the 60kg category, won his initial bout against Jordan’s Mohammad Almashaqbeh but was later defeated by Burundi’s Raoul Brillant Nganji.

Similarly, Abbas began strongly, defeating Jordan’s Khader Alwraikat in the 73kg category’s preliminary round, before being defeated by Lebanon’s Ghady Moussa in the pre-quarterfinal stage.

Additionally, a 17-year-old Judoka from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, participating in his first international competition, defeated Jordan’s Mohammad Almseden in his opening match but then lost to Bahrain’s R. Poltoratskii in the Last 16.