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Thursday March 28, 2024

Karateka Saadi needs expert coach, sparring partners

By Alam Zeb Safi
July 18, 2018

KARACHI: After losing to a Saudi Arabia’s fighter in the quarterfinals of the Asian Karate Championship in Jordan recently Pakistan’s seasoned player Saadi Abbas said on Tuesday that he needs an expert coach and good sparring partners to prepare for the Asian Games properly.

“What I could do I have done in the Asian Championship in Jordan. But what I need now is an expert coach and the sparring partners who match my level or above my level so that I could properly learn my mistakes and overcome them ahead of the Asian Games,” Saadi told ‘The News’ in an interview just after returning from Jordan on Tuesday.

He was quick to add that the standard of Pakistani fighters was that of the South Asian level and doing sparring with them would never improve him.Saadi, who fought in the -75kg competitions in the Asian Championship concluded the other day at the Prince Rashed Martial Arts Centre Al Hussein Sports City, Amman, lost in the quarter-final to a fighter from Saudi Arabia who won bronze.

Before the loss Saadi won his first two fights against the fighters from Qatar and Oman. According to Saadi, the fighter from Qatar who he beat had ended seventh in the last World Championships. And the two-time Commonwealth Championship and one time Asian Championship and US Open gold medallist said he was also not outclassed by the player from Saudi Arabia.

“I fought hard against the Saudi Arabia’s fighter and it was never the case that his opponent had really dominated that fight. But you know Saudi Arabia has an Egyptian coach Mohammad Abdul Fattah, who is one of the leading coaches of the world and that definitely helped my opponent,” Saadi conceded.

Saadi reiterated that he could not give his hundred percent in the Asian Championship but he had still one month at his disposal ahead of the Asian Games and would work more hard to overcome weak points.

Pakistani fighters are expected to be sent to Turkey for a two-week training ahead of the Asiad, an event which will also feature world and Olympic champions.Although Saadi has claimed one gold and two bronze in the Asian Championship but taking a medal in the Asian Games would be a real achievement.

Saadi said if Pakistan toured Turkey before the Asiad then there would be a need to hire the same Turkish coach with whom they would train there for the Asian Games.“It would then be good enough if he remains with us during Asian Games also. An expert’s presence with a fighter is very much necessary which helps the fighter to change his tactics during the fight,” said Saadi, who mostly stays and plays at Dubai.

Besides Saadi, Naseer Ahmed (-67kg), Zafar Iqbal (-60kg), Mohammad Kashif (-55kg), Israr-ul-Haq (individual kata), Kulsoom (-68kg) and Qurat-ul-Ain (+68kg) were the others who were part of Pakistan’s squad for the Asian Championship.

Naseer, also a highly experienced fihter, also lost his first fight i Jordan. After returning to Lahore from Jordan the fighters went straight to Islamabad to join the camp which has been set up at the Pakistan Sports Complex for the Asian Games.

Meanwhile Pakistan Karate Federation’s (PKF) Chairman Mohammad Jehangir was also not happy with the performance of his side in the Jordan event.“Our performance was not good and we now need a foreigh tour to prepare rightly for the Asian Games,” Jehangir told this correspondent from Lahore.

“Saadi was our main hope but unfortunately he also could not get medal,” Jehangir said. “Jordan got two gold, Iran claimed three gold and Japan were the best with six gold. Saudi Arabia’s three fighters had reached the finals. The sport is fast-developing and there is a need to work more hard,” Jehangir said.

However he was quick to add that the continental event in Jordan helped them to know the weak areas of the fighters.“It helped us learn about the weak areas. We will try to work over them before the Asiad,” the official said. The 18th Asian Games are penciled in for August 18 to September 2 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.