Jahangir Khan The Conqueror: Jahangir khan's story in detail

 

Jahangir Khan The Conqueror

“With a little moisture, this soil is extremely fertile.”

This line from Allama Muhammad Iqbal seems unquestionably true when we think of people as great as Jahangir Khan.

Jahangir Khan was born in Karachi on December 10^th, 1963. He came from a Pushtoon family that originate from a village near Peshawar called Naway Kalay. Jahangir khan won his spurs in the field of Squash so much so that his name and Squash became inseparable as if they were the two sides of the same coin. Jahangir Khan is considered to be the greatest and fittest player in the history of Squash and his achievements have not been rivaled to date.

            The greatest Squash player of all time faced many ups and downs in his early life. When a child, Jahangir Khan was physically very weak. He had undergone two surgical procedures for hernia before attaining the age of 12. His doctors, therefore, wanted him not to take a part in any sort of physical activity. Nonetheless, his high zest and passion to excel could not be fettered by any physical malady. He embarked on the most grueling sport of squash and through his courage and determination, ultimately prevailed. Another great shock he received was the accidental demise of his elder brother, Torsam khan who succumbed to a heart attack during a match in the Australian Open. Torsam khan was one of his coaches as well- the other two being Roshan Khan, his father, and Rahmat Khan, his cousin. Jahangir Khan not only loved him but also, got inspiration from his example. His sudden death could have made Jahangir Khan wrap up all his dreams and quit the game forever, but for his strong determination, he grew into the most successful player in the history of squash. Besides, he established fame for his incredible fitness and stamina and was widely known as ‘the fittest player’ in the world of sports.

                        On account of his physical weakness from his recent illness, the selectors decided not to select him to play in the World Championship in 1979. All the same, to satiate his, and at the very tender age of just 15 years, became the youngest ever winner of the prestigious event.

At the age of 17, Jahangir Khan astounded the world by beating the world's number one Geoff hunt of Australia in the final to become the youngest champion of the World Open in 1989. The tremendous victory proved to be the scratch line for the journey of his success that went on as unstoppable as the wind for five hundred and fifty-five matches consecutively in the next five years (1981-1986). It is the longest streak by any athlete in the top-level professional sports as per the record of Guinness book of world records. During his distinguished career, he won the Word Open Championship six times and the British Open, a record ten times in a row from 1982 to 1991.

            At the end of 1986, another Pakistani athlete named Jan Sher Khan appeared on the horizon of squash. He went toe to toe with Jahangir khan and put a real challenge to his domination. Jan Sher khan was able to capture the 1987 world Open title. Jahangir Khan, however, managed to put an end to Jan Sher khan’s winning streak over him in March 1988. They met in the final of the 1988 World Open, wherein Jahangir Khan stood victorious.

            One of the main reasons behind his phenomenal performance was his incredible fitness level which he had attained not without rigorous training and regular physical exercise. He would start his day by doing fourteen-kilometer jogging in 60-120 minutes followed by a short burst of the timed sprint. Then he would take body exercise in the Gym and finally cool down in the pools. He would follow this routine five days a week. On the sixth day, he would do match practice, and the seventh day used to be his rest day.

                        In 1993, following his last match against Jan Sher Khan in the world open final, this legendary player bade adieu to Squash as a player. But like fish out of water, he could not stay away for too long. He re-entered the game, Though not as a player. In 1997 he was elected as the vice president of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) and in November 1998, he became the Vice president of the World Squash federation. Later in 2002 and 2004, he held the position of the president of WSF for two terms successively. In 2008, he became Emeritus President of WSF.

                        The list of the achievements and the awards he grabbed is too long to be enclosed in a few lines. The Government of Pakistan conferred upon him the pride of performance award and the civil award of “Hilal-e-Imtiaz” (the crescent of destination) for his extraordinary achievements in Squash. In 2005, the leading international Magazine “Time” named him as one of their Asian Heroes of the last six years. The London Metropolitan University granted him the honorary degree of the Doctorate of Philosophy for his contributions to sports in 2007. The Japanese government paid him a solemn tribute by issuing a commemorative stamp in his name. In his book, ‘Winning Squash’, Jahangir Khan writes, “I was told, I would never become a World Champion. I was the youngest, the smallest, the feeblest, and the sickest of the family.” He stated further in his book, “Neither the doctors nor my father believed there was a chance for me to become a good Squash player. “However despite such disparaging views and discouraging comments of the world without, he was ignited and boosted up by the world within and proved himself. He ruled over the world of Squash and, true to his name, was called “The Conqueror”.