Every News: Shah admits qualifying for Tokyo 2020 very tough

Shah admits qualifying for Tokyo 2020 very tough
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KARACHI: Pakistan’s Japan-based Olympian judoka Shah Hussain on Tuesday said that it was very tough for him now to make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but he still had a chance.“I know that it’s very tough now for me to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. But I still have a chance. I will sacrifice everything for making it to the world’s most prestigious event for the second time in a row,” Shah told ‘The News’ in an interview from Tokyo.Shah created history when he became the first Pakistani judoka to qualify for Olympics — in 2016 in Rio. He did that on the basis of a continental quota.For achieving his goal Shah had to feature in a number of qualifying events for two years.Pakistan government amply backed Shah on that occasion. But now as there is no state support Shah has decided to do everything himself to qualify for the 2020 Olympics which will be staged at his hometown in Tokyo.“There is no hope of support from any cordon. As I could not perform well in the Asian Games last year in Indonesia, I am unable to even ask for support. I think it’s better to do something on my own and I am doing that to achieve my goal,” Shah revealed.“After the World Championships I started my training for the Olympic qualifiers. I have hired a trainer whom I pay 450 US dollars a month. My monthly training expenses are 1500 dollars,” Shah said.“My father is doing a good job in Tokyo but he alone cannot bear my expenses. When I was preparing for the Rio Olympics I was also studying at the university where everything was okay. Now I am a professional fighter and I have to do everything myself. I also do a part-time job to meet my training expenses,” said the fighter, who competes in the -100 kilogramme category.He said that he would have to work hard to qualify for the Olympics.“The issue is that my world ranking has gone down. It is now probably 125th. The issue is that for Rio Olympics it was necessary for an athlete to find a place in the top 22 but now for Tokyo you have to find a place in the top 16. If I am able to make a place in top 20 still I will be in a good position to make a cut for Olympics,” Shah explained.He said he had a power issue which he had now overcome. “I have changed everything. I now live away from my home, have a trainer and go to far-flung areas to practise with top training partners,” Shah said.He said that his first task was the Asian Championships. “Right now my focus is on the Asian Championships. I will try my best in the continental event,” the fighter said.The Asian Championships will be held from April 19-22 at Sheikh Zayed Sports Complex, Fujairah, UAE.Shah said that he played just a couple of international events last year. “I appeared last year in only Asian Games and World Championships. Fighters from Europe don’t win every fight. They win one, lose the next and then again win. I know everything now as I have been in the field for quite some time. I need to play at least 10 to 15 events in a year if I have to improve my world ranking,” said Shah, who plays for Army in domestic events. He is expected to feature in National Games in Quetta.