|
from
December 2004
BRITISH JUNIOR OPEN
Where will you be on the 1st of January? Curing a hangover? Cuddling
your loved one? Trying to figure out why on earth you are wearing
that ridiculous pair of striped trousers, and where the heck is your
car???
Well, like a lot of parents, young boys and girls, coaches,
referees, organisers of all nationalities, I will be in Sheffield,
for the British Junior Open. And so will be these very keen
youngsters (yes, two young ladies as well), along with Rahmat
Khan, who doesn’t need any introduction…
Ayaz Khan, the assistant coach, who has been working closely
with Rahmat for nearly four years now, is extremely enthusiastic
about his “boys”, as he calls them…
 “For
a few years now, those young players have here a fantastic
opportunity. They get free racquets, free shoes, free food, free
accommodation, and free coaching with probably one of the best
coaches in the world, Rahmat Khan. We are trying to open up squash
to all the youngsters of Pakistan, not just the “Families Members”,
because Pakistan holds a great potential, and we need to take
advantage of it.”
“We are trying to coach those kids to be true champions, on and off
court, and champions do not take double bounces, do not lie, do not
cheat. They win because they work hard, because they train.”
Passionate about squash in Pakistan?
I think so…
|
YASIR BUTT
 Yesterday,
I told you about the 14 boys and girls from Pakistan who will
start the year in Sheffield, lucky them…
Well, one of them, Yasir Butt,
a slim young man with a very soft smile, is all praise for his
coach, Rahmat Khan. The junior, who has already started to
play with the Big Boys, zoomed up the ranking, from 134 to 74 in a
very short period.
“I’ve never met anybody who knows how
to motivate players like he does”, said a very enthusiastic Yasir
during a training session last night. “I’m very lucky to be
working with him and in this beautiful place”.
When I asked him why he wanted to
become a squash player, he said “When I was young, I saw videos of
Jahangir and Jansher, and I just wanted to be like them, squash
Champion…”
Like all his team mates, he trains a
minimum of 7 hours per day. Long distance runner, he enjoys
particularly the fitness part of the training, and likes running
marathons, I was told he can run 2 hours without blinking…
And when I asked him what was his
ambition?
“To be the number one player in the
world”.
With Rahmat Khan at his side, why am
I not surprised…
Achievements:
Scottish Junior Open winner U15,
British Open finalist U15, British Open Champion U17, Asian
Open
finalist. Member
of the Asian Junior Team Champions, World Junior finalist 2004,
Member of World Junior Team champions 2004.
HOW THEY DID
at the
British Junior Open ... coming next ... |
|
