Nineteen-year-old Hamza Asif announced himself as Pakistan’s fastest swimmer with a standout performance at the 35th National Games in Karachi, where he claimed three gold medals and a silver while setting a new national benchmark in the 50m breaststroke. His 29.99-second finish made him the first Pakistani to swim the event under 30 seconds and has sharpened hopes of a Pakistani qualifier for LA 2028.
Hamza began his journey at Faisalabad’s Chenab Club under coach Imran Nazir, training without access to a 50-metre pool in his hometown. His grandparents routinely drove him for early-morning sessions and his mother supervised those early workouts, a family effort that laid the foundation for his rapid rise.
At the National Games Hamza also won the 100m freestyle and the 50m freestyle in 23.65 seconds, and took silver in the 50m butterfly. These results underline his versatility across strokes and distances and mark a major milestone for Pakistani competitive swimming.
Structured support from ACTIVIT, led by Rd. Rizwan Aftab Ahmed, has been central to Hamza Asif’s development. ACTIVIT provides diagnostics, sports-specific medical oversight, tailored nutrition, supplementation and strength and conditioning programmes, with Rd. Rizwan personally overseeing metabolic assessment and diet management as part of a long-term performance partnership.
Connections to Pakistan’s Olympic heritage have grown stronger with ACTIVIT’s involvement: Rd. Rizwan is the maternal grandson of Iftikhar Ahmed Shah, Pakistan’s swimmer at the 1948 London Olympics. That lineage, and shared ties to Aitchison College, has added symbolic weight to Hamza’s emergence as a contemporary Olympic hopeful.
Early identification and funding from the BARD Foundation enabled Hamza to attend high-performance camps in Thailand, experiences he credits with refining technique and competitive maturity. Those international opportunities helped secure his place with the University of Tennessee Southern and the UTS FireHawks programme, where access to Olympic-standard pools and collegiate competition has further prepared him for global meets.
Speaking after his National Games success, Hamza said, “My target is LA 2028. Every competition from here is part of that preparation.” His father reflected on the family sacrifice and faith, saying, “We work hard and leave the rest to Allah.” With institutional backing and international exposure, Hamza Asif now carries renewed expectations as Pakistan seeks to end an Olympic swimming drought.
