Judo: Shah goes down in grand slam event

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Shah Hussain Shah crashed out of the sub-100 kilogramme event at the Judo Grand Slam in Tokyo, losing to an Israeli opponent in the first round. The defeat meant that Shah’s hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics received another blow. He had previously participated in the World Championships in South Africa in a bid to qualify for the mega event, but lost in the event’s third round. However, according to the Pakistan Judo Federation Secretary Masood Ahmed, Shah still had a chance of qualifying for the Olympics. “Our next target is the Grand Prix in China that starts on Wednesday,” said Ahmed. “He has to reach the third round there in order to qualify for the Olympics.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2011.