Sindh Open | Pakistan

There is little that changes when reporting on the women’s Sindh Open from year to year. Karachi Grammar School retains the championship title; records are shattered as teammates and mothers cheer on the swimmers till their throats go hoarse; top-level swimmers wow the crowd with speedy races duplicated in international arenas for team Pakistan. The only thing that does change is the sense of camaraderie, sportsmanship and drive the young women have — it only grows stronger every year. There were, however, a handful of anomalies at the 31st Sindh Women’s Swimming Championship this weekend. A record 377 participants from nearly 20 institutions across Karachi competed at the two-day age-group championship, compared to figures of 250 or less in previous years. For the first time, lengthier and more strenuous races like the 800m freestyle, 400m IM and 200m breaststroke were scratched from the event list due to a lack of participants, according to the organisers. For the third straight year, Hareem Malik was crown...