LAHORE    -   Pakistan’s gold-medal winning athletes Naqsh Hamdani and Shahzaib Khan, silver medalist Hamza Omar Saeed and teen athlete Saad Asif have said that fetching laurels for the country at international level with a podium finish is their top priority as it brings a sense of national pride in them which is a great achievement. “I am because of my country. That’s why I think of my country first when I play at international level,” said Naqsh Hamdani, adding winning a gold medal for the country in the just-concluded 4th Combaxx Asian Open Taekwondo International Championship was a great honour for her and this grand victory has raised her morale and spirit for future outings. “I had worked hard ahead of this event, which paid off in shape of winning gold medal.” “My achievement was made possible due to hard work of our head coach Yousef Karami of Iran, who taught us the latest techniques of the game and took our game to next level,” said Naqsh, who grabbed gold medal for Pakistan in -53kg Women’s contest by outplaying Zahro Mizzare of Afghanistan in the final. Pakistan’s Shahzaib Khan, who won gold medal in the -54kg contest, said that appreciating and celebrating the medal winners athletes by government and private institutions can help encourage the athletes and raise their morale for future contests. “I wish to represent my country at more and more international events,” he said. Hamza Omar Saeed, who won silver medal in the plus 87kg contest, said that winning medals for the country at international level helped in promoting the game in the country. “Not only the country’s image has been raised at international level, but it has also brought pride to individual players, who feel proud to represent their country