JAHANGIR KHAN: “THE UNSQUASHABLE”

Author: Syeda Tooba Azhar

“A true champion believes in impossible.”

The Pakistani squash legend “Jahangir Khan” whose first name means “Conqueror Of The World” was
born with all the five S’s of sports training (stamina, strength, speed, skill, and the greatest of them the
spirit). He is considered to be the greatest sportsman in history who, during his career, won the World
Open title six times and the British Open title ten times. From 1982 to 1991 Khan was unassailable and
won 555 consecutive matches without a single defeat. This is the record nonpareil in the annals of any
sport.

Khan was tremendously weak. He was born with a bilateral or double hernia and was advised to abstain
from arduous physical exercises. He went under two surgeries for a hernia, first at the age of five and
second at the age of twelve.

Roshan Khan, Jahangir’s father was a great squash champion and also the squash professional at
Pakistan Navy’s Fleet Club. On Jahangir’s eighth birthday, his father gifted him a squash racket which he
used to practice grip for various squash strokes and how to execute them.

When Jahangir turned 10, Roshan started taking him to the fleet club for short weekly playing sessions.
Doctors still wanted him to be prudent as no one know that he would have a great career as a
sportsman. However, stealthily ignoring his doctor's advice, he would sneak back to the fleet, push
himself hard, and practice strokes that he had seen his father playing. After the second successful
surgery of the hernia, Jahangir started building his strength and stamina. Seeing Jahangir’s interest and
passion for squash his father started to train him by himself.

Jahangir made rapid progress, honing his skills under his father’s superintendence. In November 1978,
he became Pakistan National Junior Champion just at the age of fourteen. In April 1979, he participated
in Junior Open Championship where his power and speed ensured his place in the final. Although he lost
to Australian Glen Burby. Jahangir had made a powerful imprint in the squash world, confirming a
prediction made by the world number four Hiddy Jahan in 1977, that Jahangir “would be dangerous
within two years.

In 1980, the sixteen-year-old prodigy who just turned professional reached the Irish Open Championship
final where he was defeated by Jonah Barrington. He entered the World Open, and after defeating
Maqsood Ahmed in the quarter-final he faced Pakistan’s top-ranked Qamar Zaman.

After playing numerous matches, at the age of seventeen Jahangir became the world's Youngest
Champion in history. For the next five years and eight months, Jahangir ruled the squash world by
thrashing everyone he encountered. His accomplishments include winning the World Championship
without dropping a game and playing the longest squash match ever, defeating the unstoppable Gamal
Awad of Egypt, and many more.
He retired from the sport in 1993 after helping Pakistan win World Team Championship. In November
1998 he was elected as the first Vice-President of the World Squash Federation from 2002 to 2008 and
he has since been the organization’s president.

Jahangir was nominated as 'Sportsman of the Millennium' by the Government of Pakistan. He was an
illustrious sportsman and a global icon. He was one of those brilliant sportsmen that Pakistan has ever
produced and a legend of his time.