Iran great Yousef to coach Pakistan taekwondo squad

KARACHI: Former Iran taekwondo fighter Yousef Karami on Tuesday landed in Islamabad to train Pakistan’s fighters for the Islamic Games and the Asian Games.

“Yes, Yousef has arrived,” Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) president Lt Col (retd) Wasim Ahmed told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Yousef will serve initially on a three-month probation and if he is able to impress the authorities he will be given an extension.

Yousef is a great name in Iran’s taekwondo. Besides winning bronze in the 2004 Athens Olympics, the Mianeh-born fighter secured world championship gold in 2003 and gold medals in the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games.

Before moving to Pakistan, he served as coach at the club level in Croatia.

“He is a big name in taekwondo and when a world champion and Olymic medallist is in your dressing room it definitely inspires the boys. Although it’s not easy to produce results overnight, I hope Yousef will get the best out of our top stuff in the coming events,” Wasim said.

“Iranian coaches are always tough and mostly focus on fitness. We hope he will bring our fighters into top shape for future national duty,” Wasim said.

He thanked IPC Ministry for providing a coach to the federation which he said was very important ahead of such important events.

It has been learnt that Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) will pay him the salary while transporation, accomodation and food facilities will be managed by the federation.

The PTF already has a Korean coach for poomsae.

Pakistan has medal chances in the Islamic Games and the Asian Games. Haroon Khan has the ability to finish at the victory podium in these events.

Some of the other fighters also have the guts to impress at the top level.

The Islamic Games will be held in Konya, Turkey, in August. The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China, in September.

The PTF has already held a camp at Islamabad for international events. The PTF fielded its lot in the 32nd Fajr Open early this month in Tehran in which Shahzeb and Hamza reached quarter-finals. Haroon did not feature in the event despite being part of the squad as he developed a back problem during training but it was a good opportunity for him to see various fighters of his class who he might come across in the Islamic Games and the Asian Games.

“I am working here at Karachi with trainer Faisal Nadeem Butt. I developed back pain 20 days ago but now I feel better,” Haroon told ‘The News’.

The PTF also plans to field its squad in the Asian Championship to be held in Korea in June. “We plan to send a few fighters there. A couple of fighters in poomsae may also be sent,” Wasim said.