Shah wants coach Komichi with him at Commonwealth Games

KARACHI: Tokyo-based Pakistan’s premier judoka Shah Hussain is facing huge challenges ahead of the Commonwealth Games pencilled in for July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham.

He needs to reduce his weight to -90 kilogramme, a weight category in which he will play for the first time in international circuit. And he will also have to deliver in this weight category as he had last snared silver in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, which was also the first medal for the country in judo.

Shah is much confident to overcome both the hurdles.

“Yes, I am facing such challenges but I have planned for them and will overcome all hurdles to achieve my goals in the Commonwealth Games,” Shah told ‘The News’ in an interview from Tokyo.

“I have reduced my weight to 104kg and will be able to slash it to the required limit soon. Previously I had reduced my weight to 95kg and there I had no issue but I don’t know how much it will affect me when I will come down to -90kg, the weight category in which I will have to play in the Commonwealth Games,” he said.

Shah, who featured in 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics after qualifying for the extravaganza on the trot, has built his entire international career in -100kg.

It is quite surprising that he has decided to change his weight at a time when he is in the twilight of his career. But the fighter is not concerned about switching over to another weight. “There is no issue. I believe in myself and every hurdle will be tactfully overcome,” said Shah, also the two-time Asian bronze medallist.

Although he finished with a silver in Glasgow Commonwealth Games but this time Shah targets gold in the Birmingham quadrennial event. “I don’t think less than gold this time,” said Shah, son of Olympics boxing bronze medallist Hussain Shah.

“I don’t say this while over-confident but I have weighed different things before setting a gold target for myself,” Shah said.

“It will not be an easy job though, as fighters from Canada and England may pose a huge challenge but inshaAllah I will finish with a gold,” he said.

Hussain is currently training at Tsukuba University under his new trainer Komichi Toshiki of Japan.

“I am training very well under Komichi. I practice for seven hours daily and on off-day I do some jogging. The training duration seems a bit more but I will tell you that I have to overcome weight reduction challenge also and so I have to focus more as compared to others,” he said.

However, Shah requested the authorities concerned that it would be a huge benefit if they send Komichi with him to Birmingham. “Its very important to have Komichi with me as he has been imparting training to me for the last four months or so. If he goes with me to England it will add to my gold chances,” Shah asserted.

Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) has conveyed its message to the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) through the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that Shah will need to have his Japanese coach during the Commonwealth Games.

During the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games Shah could have earned gold had there been a coach with him. And now it is absolutely important for the authorities concerned to listen to his genuine demand.

Shah also made it clear that he wants to completely focus on his training in Japan and will not want to feature in any Grand Slam scheduled before the Commonwealth Games. “No, I have no such intention. I want to train here with focus and will also not go to Pakistan for any kind of training until the Games in Birmingham,” he said.

PJF has held national camp in Islamabad under the Iranian coach Sajjad Kazmi who arrived in the federal capital the other day to begin his second stint as Pakistan coach.

Besides Shah, Qaiser Afridi, who belongs to Qamberkhel tribe, is the other fighter who will be representing Pakistan in judo in the Commonwealth Games. In 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games judo was not included.