Boosting Olympic chances: Shah wins bronze at Asian judo event

Pakistan finish 12th out of 31 countries participating in the senior championship.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s 2014 Common-wealth Games silver-medallist Shah Hussain Shah proved his talent once again as he bagged the bronze at the Asian Senior Judo Championship 2015 in Kuwait late on Thursday.

His recent performances in the -100kg category have improved his chances of being Pakistan’s first judoka to qualify for the Olympics.

Shah bounced back into the competition to secure the bronze medal after faltering in round two, knocking out India’s Shahi Jaswinder in two minutes and 17 seconds.

He then defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Toktogonov Bolot in four minutes and 37 seconds in his fourth fight of the day to confirm his place on the podium.

The championship featured 210 athletes from 31 countries, with Pakistan finishing 12th.

“All the athletes have proved their worth and fighting spirit,” said Pakistan Judo Federation secretary Masood Ahmad in a statement. “They all stood for at least four minutes out of the allotted five minutes per match in every competition.”

He added that he is confident of Shah’s qualification for the Olympics, “I am absolutely sure that Shah will qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, which is a great honour for Pakistan.”

Pakistan’s Humaira Ashiq, meanwhile, finished fifth in the -48 kg event, while Shumaila Gul secured seventh in the 57kg competition.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th,  2015.

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