American Olympian lauds long-jumper Asif’s skills

LAHORE: Words of praise and encouragement are floating on social media for Asif Magsi after his long jump video went viral.

The 21-year-old Thatta native can be seen jumping over 11 bikes in a video, while in another video, he is jumping over a lake covering a large distance with a Pakistani flag in his hand. Both the videos got immense attention as a lot of fans posted about the overnight sensation.

Magsi has also got the attention of legendary American Olympian Carl Lewis who’s a former track and field athlete.

On his twitter handle, Lewis commended Magi’s fearless attitude while jumping over bikes. “Actually with his lack of fear, he has the perfect mindset,” he said.

Magsi has also been praised by Pakistani famous singers and actors Ali Zafar, Fahad Mustafa and Shaniera Akram.

Asif studied till eighth grade due to poor financial condition at home. Magsi says that he has been practising jumping since his childhood. “I’ve been practising consistently. I started from five bikes then took it to seven and then to 11 bikes,” he says. “I’ve had a few injuries but none of them was serious.”