Noor Zaman discusses his world squash championship title

KARACHI: After defeating Kareem El Torkey in a five-set thriller to win the Under-23 World Squash Championship title, Pakistan’s Noor Zaman came on Hum network’s morning show, Subah Say Agay, to discuss his triumph.

Zaman discussed how he rallied himself to win the match despite losing the first two sets. He touched on not wanting to let down his home crowd fans and himself.

“I thought about how I was playing in my home ground, the crowd that came to support me, that it’s the world championship, and how hard I have worked.”

With his reified resolve, Zaman said he fought for each point, till the last point. But, it wasn’t easy, as Zaman explained how he struggled to keep up with Torkey’s pace in the first game, and how some bad review decisions led to the second game falling out of reach. However, once he was two love down, Zaman stated he stopped focusing on winning or losing, instead choosing to focus on each individual point.

Zaman also spoke about Torkey, and how he had previously beaten him in the under 17 British Junior tournaments four years ago. The 21-year-old praised Turkey, citing his recent tournament win in India as an example of his ability.

Also read: Pakistan’s Noor Zaman brings U-23 squash crown home

In regards to preparing for the tournament, Zaman said it’s a lifelong process of persistent training.

“Its hard work from childhood, and before this event, in January, February, march, I didn’t play any tournament, I just trained.”

He went on to talk about how it was the first time in over 20 years that Pakistan was hosting the World Squash Championship, and how that added to his motivation and desire to win.

Zaman was then asked about the lengths aspiring athletes would need to go to, in order to achieve great feats. And Zaman explained that it wasn’t easy, as they would need to not only sacrifice things like junk food and avoid their phones, but also spend a lot of time away from their families.

“When you can avoid these things, then you can do something in this world.”

Zaman also asked the government and the private sector to provide incentives and sponsor him and other athletes, as currently, only the Pakistan Squash Federation offers any support.

Lastly, Zaman thanked his fans, stating that it was because of their support and prayers that he was able to become world champion, and also once again requested the government to provide more support to athletes.

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