KARACHI: Pakistan won the bronze medal at the Asian Under-18 Volleyball Championship held in Bahrain.
Pakistan outclassed defending champions Japan 3-0 in the third-place match. The Green Shirts stayed on top from the start against the three-time defending champions and completed the win in straight sets.
The set scores were 25-13, 25-21 and 25-17 in favor of Pakistan.
By securing a top-four finish in the tournament, Pakistan also qualified for the U-19 Volleyball World Cup next year.
It is Pakistan’s first medal in any age group at the Asian Volleyball Championship since 2008, when Pakistan claimed third place by defeating India in the Asian Under-20 Championship.
The Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) expressed happiness over the success of the U18 team and said the performance at the Asian Championship shows a bright future for volleyball in the country.
On Saturday, Pakistan lost the semi-final against China with a final score of 3-2.
China won with scores of sets 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 and 8-15.
In the first set, China took an early lead with a narrow 23-25 victory. Pakistan bounced back in the second set to secure a 25-22 win. The back-and-forth battle continued with China winning the third set 22-25 and Pakistan clinching the fourth set 25-23 to take the match to a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, the Chinese players showed their resilience and composure, eventually winning 15-8 and securing a place in the championship final.
