QUETTA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sabir Shah won a gold medal in the 90kg category by defeating Army’s Shan Ali in 10 seconds at the National Games in Quetta.
Shah won KP’s first National Games judo gold medal in 10 seconds, defeating Ali, the favourites.
Before the final, Shah overcame Wapda, Balochistan, and Police athletes.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s second gold at the National Games.
Next month, Shah and Navy’s Hamid will represent Pakistan in Judo in Russia.
Two-time Olympian judoka Shah Hussain announced on Wednesday that he cannot prepare for the Asian Games and 2024 Olympics Qualifiers.
“No, I don’t have any plan to either feature in the Asian Games or Olympics Qualifiers,” Shah told The News in a casual talk from Quetta, where he is representing Army in the 34th National Games’ judo competitions.
Professional preparation for major events, notably the Olympics, is too expensive. “I’m broke,” Shah remarked.
Shah is the only Pakistani judoka to qualify for the Olympics twice through the continental quota. He did so in 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He disappointed in both Olympics. Shah began playing in the 2024 Olympics Qualifiers a few months before and played in three consecutive events in Abu Dhabi, Perth, and Baku. Moreover, In Perth’s Grand Prix, he performed brilliantly, boosting his global rankings and showing that Shah would easily qualify for the Olympics. While, Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) couldn’t afford to send Shah and other elite judoka to qualifying events. Shah is unprepared for the difficult job of qualifying for the Olympics.
Shah now targets Pakistan’s early 2020 South Asian Games.
