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Pakistan’s top skier eyeing first winter Olympic medal in Beijing

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(APP): Pakistani skier Muhammad Karim is eagerly waiting to participate in the coming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China and hoping to win the first medal for him and the country.

Karim from Naltar, a village in Gilgit-Baltistan is the only Pakistani skier to have competed in two Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Karim, 26 is excited and looking forward to this year’s Olympics Games, which will put Pakistan on the international sports map.

“I want to further improve my skiing skills at the Beijing Winter Olympics and at the same time encourage Pakistani children to take up the sport,” he said in an interview with APP.

Sharing some details about his career, he said that basically, skiing in Pakistan is a very expensive and hard sport because of lack of supplies and facilities as compared to Europe and other countries.

“I like to thank Pakistan Air Force for sponsoring him and providing with all facilities all the way through,” he added.

About starting skiing, he said, he started skiing from wooden skiis. “During the winter, the schools were closed and I used to go slope with my elder brother who was also in the Alpine Skii Team of Pakistan.”

In 2005, Karim got the chance to be in the Skii Team of Naltar of Pakistan Air Force and won a bronze medal there and got into the spotlight. In 2008, he got scholarship training from Austria for three months. From there he started his professional career.

“From 2010, I participated in national competitions and won a gold medal in my first competition. Afterward, I have participated in Sochi Olympics, South Asian Games, and Pyeongchang Olympics. Now I am looking forward to Beijing Olympics,” he added.

Karim has been training at different places for the last three years including Naltar Skii Resort and also in Malam Jabba. This year, he also got a chance to train in Italy for three months with a Greek Coach. Later, he came back to prepare for Olympics in Pakistan.

Regarding coaches, he said that he started training with his brother. For advanced training, he took training from Greek coaches. “My brother was also a member of the Pakistan Skii team and medal holder. Now he is the Head Coach.”

Karim has a plan to become a teacher and intends to share his experience and advanced skiing skills with the younger generation.

On training sessions abroad, he said that skiing is very expensive especially since the training and equipment are very expensive. “So, from the beginning of my skiing, the Federation has sponsored me in every regard. This year, I got a scholarship of the International Olympic Committee for third world countries.”

“On the future career, he said that skiing is a very risky sport so if a player gets some serious injury, he cannot continue your career.”

“If nothing goes wrong, I expect I can ski 8-10 years more. I started at a very young age. I participated in Sochi Olympics when I was 18 years old. So, I want to gain more experience and then transfer my experience to little children so when they participate they have a better edge than me and represent Pakistan better than me,” he added.

About the prospects of getting training in China, he believes, being a member from Pakistan with international experience, until the guys are experienced and confident for the international stage, then we will participate in other countries training.

Karim has not been to China and never participated in games in China. He looks forward to visiting there now and meeting new people and using the Chinese resorts.

He has ski friends from China and has shared winter camps with the Chinese and enjoyed a friendship with them. Also, his some friends are in China and he is also connected with them. “I look forward to visiting China and gaining experience.”

About the Chinese food which is popular all over the world, the number one Pakistani skier said that he has enjoyed various kinds of foods all over the world and he looks forward to trying Chinese food as well.

“In response to a question about sponsorship from Chinese companies, he said, he was looking for sponsorship for a long time he would love to take it.

About a position in the coming Olympics, he said, “I got 47th rank in Italy. But on the day, you cannot say anything with certainty and some micro-second decisions define the position so I can’t say for sure but I will try my best to get good positions.”

He also wishes the Chinese Olympics Association very good luck for the event and hopes to see good sportsmanship and healthy competition flourish there.

The 24th Olympics Games also known as Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be hosted by the Chinese capital. After the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the Winter Olympics would be organized in the same city, making Beijing the first dual Olympic city in history.

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Jahangir Khan – The King of Squash

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Jahangir Khan is a man whose name is synonymous with squash. A man universally recognised as the world’s greatest ever player and an athlete who transcended his sports to be acknowledged as world’s greatest ever sportsman. A man who set the bar so high, precious few others have come close, never mind surpass his achievements.

Youngest World Amateur Champion (aged 15) Youngest British Open & World Champion (aged 17) Unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches over 5 years and 8 months – the longest winning streak of any sportsman 10 time British Open Champion (1982-1993) 6 time World Champion Played the longest squash match in history (2 hours, 46 minutes)

Through courage, determination and personal sacrifice, Jahangir Khan overcame personal tragedy to dominate and ultimately transcend the world’s most physically demanding sport.Throughout his record breaking career, Jahangir Khan used and was synonymous with only one brand.

Jahangir Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan on the 10th December 1963 amd is considered to be the greatest player in the history of squash.

Jahangir Khan is originally from Neway Kelay Payan, Peshawar. During his career he was ranked World No.1 and won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times.

From 1981 to 1986, Jahangir was unbeaten and during that time won 555 consecutive matches – the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sport as recorded by Guinness World Records.

Jahangir retired from the Men’s Professional World Squash Tour 1993 and served as President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) from 2002 to 2008 when he became Emeritus President.

Jahangir was coached initially by his father Roshan and then by his late brother Torsam and cousin Rahmat who would go on to coach Jahangir throughout his record breaking career.

As a child Jahangir was physically very weak and despite doctors advising him not to take part in any sort of physical activity his father encouraged him to play their family game following a couple of hernia operations.

After missing out on selection for the Pakistan team for the 1979 World Championships in Australia, Jahangir entered the World Amateur Individual Championship and at 15 years-of-age became the youngest ever winner of the prestigious championship.

In November 1979, Jahangir’s older brother Torsam died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam’s death affected Jahangir greatly and led to him considering quitting the game. However, Jahangir was determined to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother.

Most Notable Achievements:
Won World Amateur Championships at age 15
Youngest ever World Open Champion (aged 17)
Unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches over 5 years and 8 months
Record 10 time British Open Champion (1982-1991)
Six-time World Open Champion
First player to win World Open Championship without dropping a game
Played the longest match in the squash history 2 hours and 46 minutes
Five-year unbeaten run

In 1981, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open at the age of 17 when he beat the then World No.1 Geoff Hunt Australia in the final. That championship marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and 555 matches.

Jahangir was distinguished for his incredible fitness and stamina which Rahmat Khan helped him develop through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was widely regarded as the fittest player in the sport.

In 1982, Jahangir astounded everyone when he won the International Squash Players Association (ISPA) Championship without losing a single point.

Jahangir’s unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the 1986 World Open in France when he lost to Ross Norman of New Zealand. Norman had been chasing Jahangir’s unbeaten streak after being beaten time and time again. Norman was famously quoted “One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him”.

Speaking about his unbeaten sequence of 555 consecutive matches, Jahangir said: “It wasn’t my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986.”

“The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months. I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat.”

At the end of 1986, compatriot Jansher Khan challenged Jahangir’s domination. Jahangir won their first few encounters in late 1986 and early 1987, but Jansher finally scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987 with a straight games victory in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open.

Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters, including capturing the 1987 World Open title.

Jahangir managed to end Jansher’s winning streak over him in March 1988 and went on to win 11 of their next 15 meetings. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final with Jahangir emerging the victor. By that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players and the pair would continue to dominate the sport for the rest of the decade.

Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in professional competition with Jansher winning 19 matches, and Jahangir taking 18 matches.

Jahangir did not win the World Open after 1988 but was able to maintain a stranglehold over the prestigious British Open title which he won a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991.

Jahangir retired from the professional World Tour in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. He was honoured by the Government of Pakistan with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Distinction) for his achievements in squash. Jahangir was also named Sportsman of the Millennium in Pakistan.

“Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan, and Jansher Khan are the best squash players the world has ever known with Jahangir the best of the three. If Hollywood only knew his story of tragedy, grit and determination it would make another movie like Chariots of Fire. Many of those who know him consider him the best athlete who ever lived.”Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf

In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and in 1997 Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation. Jahangir was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) in November 1998 and in October 2002 was elected WSF President. In 2004, Jahangir was again unanimously re-elected as President of the WSF at the International Federation’s 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius.

Jahangir Khan was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport. As a result of his complete dominance in squash he was nicknamed “The Conqueror”

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Roshan Khan – A Squash Icon of Pakistan.(26 November 1929 – 6 January 2006)

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Roshan Khan, a name etched in the annals of squash history, remains an iconic figure renowned for his exceptional skill, sportsmanship, and pivotal contributions to the world of sports. Born on November 26, 1929, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Roshan Khan’s journey from a squash prodigy to a global legend is a testament to his unparalleled talent and dedication

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Khan’s squash career unfolded in an era when the sport was flourishing in Pakistan, and he emerged as a dominant force, setting new standards of excellence. His innate talent, combined with unwavering determination, propelled him to the forefront of the squash world, where he became a trailblazer.

His remarkable achievements and distinctive style of play made him a formidable opponent on the court. Khan’s tactical prowess, agility, and swift movements were renowned. He possessed an uncanny ability to outmaneuver opponents, displaying finesse and precision that mesmerized audiences and competitors alike.

Khan’s impact extended beyond individual victories; he was an integral part of the Pakistani squash dynasty that dominated the sport globally. Alongside his cousins, Azam Khan and Mo Khan, Roshan Khan propelled Pakistan to squash supremacy, securing multiple championship titles and accolades.

The pinnacle of Khan’s illustrious career came in the 1950s and 1960s, where he triumphed in prestigious tournaments, including the British Open. His victories not only solidified his legacy but also elevated Pakistan’s standing in the world of squash.

Beyond his prowess on the court, Khan was revered for his sportsmanship and humility. His demeanor both on and off the court earned him respect and admiration worldwide. He became a role model for aspiring squash players, inspiring a generation with his dedication, discipline, and grace.

Even after retiring from professional play, Roshan Khan continued to contribute to the sport, nurturing young talent and advocating for squash development in Pakistan. His commitment to the game remained unwavering until his passing on January 6, 2006, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire squash enthusiasts globally.

Roshan Khan’s name remains synonymous with excellence, his contributions to squash immortalized in the history of the sport. He stands as a testament to the heights that dedication, talent, and passion can reach, leaving an indelible mark on the world of sports and serving as an enduring source of inspiration for generations to come.

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ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

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In the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at Hyderabad in India on Tuesday.

Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 344 runs for the loss of nine wickets in allotted fifty overs.

For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis with 122 runs and Sadeera Samarawickrama with 108 remained the main scorers.

In reply, Pakistan achieved the target in 48.2 overs for the loss of four wickets.

For Pakistan, Abdullah Shafique scored 113 and Muhammad Rizwan made 131 runs.

Muhammad Rizwan was declared player of the match. 

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