Meet 41-year-old Sana Arif, who learnt to swim only in 2021 and now represents Pakistan at the Asian Games
She learned to swim in 2021. Now she is representing Pakistan at the Asian Games Pakistan have sent a sizeable contingent to Japan for the Asian Games, but one of the most remarkable stories in the team belongs to a woman who only learned to swim five years ago. Her name is Sana Arif. Sana will represent Pakistan in triathlon (a race combining swimming, cycling and running) at the Aichi Nagoya…
Sana Arif, a 41-year-old woman, began learning to swim in 2021. Born in Kuwait and raised in Lahore, she had always been interested in sports but found swimming a major barrier. Once she started training, it took her two years to complete her first Ironman 70.3, a long-distance triathlon event. Despite the challenges of Kuwait's scorching summer heat, she persevered.
In 2026, she was selected to represent Pakistan in triathlon at the Asian Games in Japan. The Asian Games event requires swimmers to complete a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride, and a 5km run. Sana's journey is remarkable as she achieved this goal five years after first dreaming of competing at the Olympics.
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