Olympic hopes: Pakistan boxer Waseem training in Korea

Quetta-based pugilist preparing for 2015 AIBA World Championship

KARACHI: Boxer Muhammad Waseem is trying to carry on with his dream to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Incheon, the city where he won the bronze medal at the Asian Games last year.

The Commonwealth Games silver-medallist, who also picked up a bronze at the Asian Games, is currently in Korea, hoping to learn all he can before the 2015 AIBA World Championship in October.

This will be the first qualifying round for the pugilists to book their place in Rio for the flyweight event.

Waseem, along with Awais Ali Khan, Gul Zeb and Ahmed Ali, is training in Incheon for two weeks courtesy of a programme sponsored by the Korean government.

While the Quetta-based boxer is grateful for the opportunity to train abroad after almost a year, he said that a major event like the world championship requires more than just a two-week camp.

“It’s good to be in Incheon, the same city where I won a medal, but it’s also a reminder that I lost the semi-final here,” Waseem told The Express Tribune. “It’s motivating me to do my best, but training for just two weeks is not enough. It means that we’ll get only two sparring sessions.”

The pugilist commended the way the Koreans gave priority to their athletes’ well-being. “They’re also taking very good care of us with respect to the facilities and diet,” he added.

Waseem said that he is hopeful that the Pakistan Boxing Federation will be able to give more exposure to the boxers before the AIBA events this year. “We have been told that we’ll go to UK for a two-month training tour,” revealed the in-form boxer.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th,  2015.

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