ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s 20-year-old judoka Malaika Noor made history by securing a silver medal in the 52kg category at the Amman Asian Open 2025, becoming the country’s first female judoka to win a medal at an Asian-level competition.
Malaika put on a brilliant performance throughout the event. In the semifinal, she defeated Raneem Aljazazi from the host country, Jordan, in under three minutes.
Although she lost the final match and missed out on the gold, her silver medal was a proud moment for Pakistan.
Last year, Malaika represented Pakistan at the World Junior Judo Championship 2024 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
She lost in the early rounds then, but her talent was recognized by the International Judo Federation. Her improvement this year is a strong sign that she is one of Pakistan’s most promising athletes.
“Malaika has shown clear progress in only her second international event,” said Masood Ahmed, Secretary of the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) while talking to WE News English.
“She trains in Peshawar at Qayyum Stadium, represents WAPDA in domestic events, and comes from Lakki Marwat. We are very proud of her.”
PJF President Col. Junaid Alam and the entire federation praised Malaika for her remarkable performance.
Pakistan’s Judo team
Pakistan sent a five-member team to the tournament, which includes both junior and senior athletes.
“We are excited to see our young athletes compete,” said Masood. “This event gives them international experience and helps them grow.”
Noor Khan (60kg category)
Age: 18
From: Balochistan / Pakistan Navy
Noor won his opening fight with a full Ippon against Mohammad Almashaqbeh of Jordan.
He then lost to Raoul Brillant Nganji of Burundi, a seasoned senior player. It was Noor’s first international event, and he showed great promise.
Faisal Shah (60kg category)
Age: 17
From: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Faisal defeated Mohammad Almseden of Jordan in his first fight but lost to R. Poltoratskii of Bahrain in the next round. It was also his international debut, and his performance was encouraging.
Muhammad Abbas Khalil (73kg category)
Abbas won his first match against Khader Alwraikat of Jordan but was later defeated by Ghady Moussa of Lebanon. Abbas had previously competed in the Asian Junior Judo Championship 2024 in South Korea.
Future plans
Masood Ahmed emphasized that the Pakistan Judo Federation is focused on developing young talent and is requesting support from the Pakistan Sports Board to set up training camps for future events.
“We want to build a strong pool of athletes who can represent Pakistan and win at big events,” he said. “Events like the Amman Open are great learning platforms.”
