Shah loses first round fight in Brazil

KARACHI: Pakistan’s experienced judoka Shah Hussain lost his first round fight to Daniel Dichev of Bulgaria after two minutes and 26 minutes struggle in the Grand Slam in Brazil’s capital Brasilia on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old Tokyo-based Olympian had also been beaten by Daniel in August in the World Championships in Tokyo. “Shah made three fouls which caused his loss,” Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) vice-president Masood Ahmed told ‘The News’ after the fight.

However, Masood was hopeful that Shah would at least grab ten points which would help him improve his ranking. He said he expected Shah to qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “I am confident he will qualify,” Masood said.

He said after 15 days he would fight in the Grand Slam in the UAE, which begins October 24, and soon afterwards he would travel to Australia to fight in the Oceania Open, which starts November 3. “We have already applied for his Australia visa,” Masood said.

He was quick to add that by May 2020 Shah has to feature in Olympic qualifiers which will help him fight for a seat at the world’s most prestigious event. “If Shah comes in top 30 or 35 then he can again earn a seat on continental quota as he did last time,” he said.