Lahore – Pakistan international badminton star Mahoor Shahzad has said that she has eyeing the 100th world rankings, which will help her qualify for 2021 Olympics.
Mahoor said this during her visit to The Nation office here on Thursday, where she was also interviewed by Amima Rafique for NawaiWaqt Group. In an interview with The Nation, the badminton star, whose world ranking is 133, said: “I have been working very hard to improve my international rankings and for this, I am keen to take part in maximum number of international events, which will help me come closer to my target, which obviously is representing my country in the coming Olympics to be held in Tokyo, Japan this year.”
Mahoor, who represents Wapda in national badminton tournaments, has successfully defended her title in the 58th National Badminton Championship, which recently concluded on Feb 7 in Charsadda and have become the National Badminton Champion for the Fifth (5th) consecutive year. On this, Mahoor said: “Every time I step on to the court, I’m fighting with the expectations imposed on me as I’ve always been dominating with a quite fine margin against other players. Hence, everyone expects the similar performance from me every tournament which adds up to an extra pressure.
“In the recent tournament, I didn’t let this pressure effect my performance. I won semifinals with a score of 21-6, 21-13 and finals with the score of 21-6, 21-7. Therefore, I believe that the gap between me and the other players gives me a confidence which helps me set up higher targets and perform on international platform.
In my opinion, I pulled out this gap due to my fitness level being upto the mark. As I’ve always aimed to compete at international level, I pay extra attention on to my stamina, strength, speed and power,” she asserted.
About the main hurdles she has been facing to win world titles, Mahoor said: “The biggest challenge, I have to face, is lack of international-standard coaching and training facilities in Karachi. Due to this, I have to design my own training plan with the help of my father, which includes court training, gym, running, etc. Not only this, I analyse my match and training videos along with my father and then we devise ways to work on my technical and tactical flaws. There is no badminton academy in Pakistan, so opening one especially in Karachi will surely help overcome this challenge.
“The other reason is that we don’t have sponsorships in badminton due to which we can’t participate much in international tournaments compared to foreign players. The more we play international tournaments, the better our world ranking will be. More and more international exposure will help us win more laurels for the country at international level.
So, corporate giants should come forward to sponsor genuine talent and top ranked players, who are capable of winning glories for the country,” the champion concluded.
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