Yasir ready for Olympics qualifiers: Bukhari

LAHORE: Pakistan’s seasoned javelin throw coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari has said that the country’s No2 javelin thrower Mohammad Yasir Sultan is ready for the Paris Olympics qualifiers.

“He is ready and what he needs is an international event where he could press for the Olympics seat,” Bukhari told ‘The News’ in an interview. “When you come in the 80 metre bloc, in which he already is, you have a chance and you can manage 85 metre plus anytime. Whatever I can do I am doing,” he said. “We have been undergoing training for the last one year. Yasir requested me to train him so that he could qualify for the Paris Olympics,” Bukhari said.

“I am a coach and if an athlete comes and requests me to train him I cannot refuse. At that time he was throwing around 75 metre. We trained and improved it to 78 metre. And then he managed his best throw of 79.93 metre in the Asian Championship in Bangkok last year which fetched him a bronze,” Bukhari recalled.

“He has to sustain that throw. Obviously, there is no support from the government and I am doing it on my own and we have sustained the throw,” Bukhari said.

“If a proper camp is held for Yasir with all the facilities I hope he will qualify,” said Bukhari. “Even when he competed in the Asian Championship in Bangkok he could have managed 86m to 87m. But the issue was that I was not accompanying him on the tour,” he said.

“Unless I handle him during the competition we cannot say anything. We also managed 78m in the Hangzhou Asian Games. We are stuck around 79m and it takes some time. Once his confidence builds he will achieve the target,” Bukhari said. “If you cross 80m so you know you are in qualification phase,” Bukhari said.

“It depends on feelings and some athletes gain that in the start and some in the end get right feelings. Yasir has the capability to manage good throw near the end when there is pressure on him,” Bukhari explained.

“If you manage 80m throw then IOC also keeps a soft corner and you can be invited to the Olympics as in that zone athletes can qualify for the finals in Olympics,” Bukhari pointed out. “We did not get enough time for Yasir. You know I spent eight years on Arshad Nadeem which is a long time and I developed him properly,” he said.

Asked about the facilities he and Yasir are being provided, Bukhari said he is doing all this without any credit. “And Yasir is also not being given food. Pakistan Sports Board and Sports Board Punjab have financially assisted Yasir at times and he is surviving on that. I have given him medicine ball, javelin and equipment and we are doing training,” he said.

Bukhari said respecting national interest is the key thing. “It depends on national interest that how much you keep on priority national interest. You have to look into the national interest and you feel that you are working for the country only. If there is like and dislike then it damages the whole system,” Bukhari said.

“If Yasir achieves something it will be the achievement of the country and we should do whatever we can for the sake of the country,” he said. “We will need to understand these things and you will need to think beyond your personal interests and then you can do something otherwise the system will remain the same,” Bukhari signed off.