Jahangir Khan - The Conqueror

Of the many sports that Pakistanis have excelled at, Squash takes the top spot. Over a period of five decades, the likes of Hashim Khan, Roshan Khan, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan emerged as the most popular and dominant athletes of the sport.

An Overview

Originating from England, squash is played all around the world, with the highest popularity in the United States, Egypt, and England. The sport is played by two or four players (in case of doubles) in a four-walled court with a rubber ball and racquets. Squash has established itself as an excellent cardiovascular workout, increasing strength, fitness, agility, and flexibility, with a few other benefits with reference to neuroscience and psychology, such as improved concentration, stress release, greater self-confidence and self-esteem, and building better hand-eye coordination.

Jahangir Khan

Hailing from Peshawar, Pakistan, Jahangir Khan is one of the most renowned squash players. His winning streak of 555 games from 1981 to 1986 is the longest by any professional player till date. Apart from this, he won the British Open Championship 10 times in a row. Jahangir Khan was the youngest squash player to win the World Amateur Championship at age 15, and the World Open Championship at age 17. His accomplishments have earned him fame and a reputation unlike any other, and served as the Chairman of the Professional Squash Association and as the Vice-President and later, as the President of the World Squash Federation.

Nicknamed "The Conqueror", Jahangir Khan retired from the sport in 1993. The Government of Pakistan, in recognition to his exceptional performance in squash, awarded him the Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz, and the title of Sportsman of the Millennium. The Times Magazine named him one of Asia's Heroes in the last 60 years and in 2018, he was given the Outstanding Achievement in Sport award at the Asian Awards.