Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Judoka Sabir Shah made history at the ongoing National Games by winning the gold medal in the 90kg category. Shah defeated Army’s Shan Ali, the favourite, in an astounding 10 seconds in the final to claim the first-ever gold medal for KP in Judo. Before reaching the final, Shah won against competitors from Wapda, Balochistan and Police. This is the second gold medal for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the National Games.
Shah, along with Navy’s Hamid, will represent Pakistan at the international Judo event in Russia next month.
Meanwhile, two-time Olympian Judoka Shah Hussain has announced that he will not feature in the forthcoming Asian Games and 2024 Olympics Qualifiers due to financial constraints. Shah is the only Pakistani judoka to have qualified for the Olympics twice based on the continental quota. Despite having a chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, Shah cited the financial burden of professional preparation as an overwhelming obstacle, and decided to focus on the upcoming South Asian Games instead.
