Shah, Pakistan’s best hope in Rio, falls in last-32 round

Judoka beaten by higher-ranked Ukrainian opponent in men’s -100kg event

KARACHI: Pakistan's Shah Hussain Shah lost 100-0 to Ukraine's Artem Bolshenko in men’s -100kg last-32 round of judo on his debut at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.

The Japan-based judoka was the best hope for Pakistan to excel in the Games, qualifying for Rio on continental quota basis by accumulating enough points as world number 55.

He received a bye in the first round, but lost his first bout at the Olympics to Bolshenko, who is ranked among the top 25 players in the world.



This was also a debut for Pakistan at the judo event in the Games, which has been a regular feature of the multi-sporting event since 1972.

Despite the defeat, Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) secretary Masood Ahmed is already looking ahead and is confident that Shah will have a memorable outing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "He lost, but it’s definitely not the end for us," Ahmed told The Express Tribune.

The official added that they were expecting the 23-year-old to win this fight. “We hoped he would make it to the quarter-finals, but the defeat is certainly a lesson to do better in the future.  Shah had chosen a wrong strategy; he should've played more defensively against the Ukrainian. But we know he will learn from this loss and will now be better prepared to take on opponents at such a huge stage.”

Ahmed further said that Shah is still young and will be a better athlete with more experience in 2020. "Our officials have given us a very good report on Shah," he said. "His problem is that he gets a bit impulsive, but I’m sure he’ll learn to control that aspect. We're confident we’ll have him and at least two other athletes in Tokyo."

Shah is the son of Pakistan's sole Olympic medal winning boxer, Hussain Shah.