Talented judoka Qaiser Khan Afridi aims to represent Pakistan at 2024 Olympics

The country’s young and talented judoka Qaiser Khan Afridi is all set to fill in the shoes of Japan-based Olympian Shah Hussain who is in the twilight of his illustrious career.

Qaiser is highly talented and at his young age of 18 has shown that he can turn out to be the most successful fighter for Pakistan. He has won two bronze medals and a silver at the Asian Junior Championships. Qaiser’s performances in the two Asian Senior Championships he played and the Grand Slams also remained impressive.

He fell short of gold in the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal last year due to illness, finishing with silver.

As this is going to be the final Olympic appearance of Shah Hussain when he flexes his muscles in the next year’s Tokyo Olympics, Qaiser is aiming to fill in Shah’s shoes and qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

“Definitely, I am ready. If I am provided with six-month or one-year training in Tokyo I will surely qualify for the 2024 Olympics,” Afridi said.

“Tokyo is an ideal training place were fighters of several nations assemble to train together under the watch of highly skilled coaches. I trained there for nine days and know exactly how it will benefit me,” Qaiser added.

“What I have achieved so far is through a club-level, ordinary training. If I am given quality training and alongside the best of the world then it will make a big difference,” Qaiser said.

Hailing from former Khyber Agency, which has now been merged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Qaiser belongs to an average family. His father was martyred in 2006 in a terrorism incident.

“I belong to an average family and cannot afford any foreign training tour,” Qaiser said.

As Olympic qualifiers spread over two years, Qaiser will have to be backed by the state for around two dozen events which will pave the way for his 2024 Olympics qualification.

The state-backed Olympian Shah Husain during the 2016 Rio Olympics qualifiers which helped him become the first judoka of Pakistan to make it to the world’s most prestigious extravaganza.

Qaiser says he is impressed by Shah Hussain.

“No doubt Shah is the most experienced campaigner and has done a lot for Pakistan. I have travelled with him, his game plan, diet plan and his approach are quite impressive. That is what I want to incorporate in my life also,” said Qaiser, the gold medallist of the South Asian Judo Championship.

Qaiser was associated with Army on contract as he was under-18 and now is getting ready to get permanent employment either with Army or WAPDA.

Qaiser is also imparting training to a handful of fighters in the academy opened by Noor Shah Afridi in Bara.

“The academy is very good for me as I am training myself and am also imparting training to around 45 other young fighters,” Qaiser said.

Qaiser could have pressed for 2020 Tokyo Olympics seat but lack of financial support and his injury remained the main stumbling blocks in his way.