Jahangir Khan Biography
World Squash FederationIn*bent*umed office
2008Preceded byPost created7th President of the
World Squash FederationIn office
2002–2008Preceded by Susie Sim*Succeeded by Narayana RamachandranLast updated: 28 April 2020.
Jahangir Khan (Pashto, Urdu: جهانګير خان born 10 December 1963) is a former professional Pakistani squash player. He won the World Open *le six times, and the British Open *le ten times (1982–1991). Jahangir Khan is widely regarded as the greatest squash player of all time, and one of the greatest sportsmen in Pakistan history. From 1981 to 1986, Khan was unbeaten and during that time won 555 consecutive matches – the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sport as recorded by Guinness World Records.
He retired as a player in 1993, and served as President of the World Squash Federation from 2002 to 2008. Later in 2008, he became Emeritus President of the World Squash Federation.
Early and personal life
Khan was born on 10 December 1963 into a Pashtun family in Karachi. His family originally hailed from Nawan Kalli, a small village near Peshawar in Pakistan.
A member of the Khan family, he was born into a family of squash players; his father Roshan Khan won the British Open *le in 1957, and his older brother was Torsam Khan.
His two nieces Natasha Khan (better known as Bat for Lashes) is a British singer, and Maria Khan is a professional footballer who has played for the Pakistan women national football team.
Career
Jahangir Khan was coached initially by his father Roshan, the 1957 British Open champion, then by his brother Torsam. After his brother's sudden death he was coached by his cousin Rehmat, who guided Khan through most of his career.
In 1979, the Pakistan selectors decided not to select Khan to play in the world championships in Australia but he entered the World Amateur Individual Championship, at the age of 15, and became the youngest-ever winner of that event. In November 1979, Torsam Khan, who had been one of the leading international squash players in the 1970s, died suddenly of a heart attack during Australian Open match in Adelaide Australia. Torsam's death profoundly affected Khan. He considered quitting the game, but decided to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother.
He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation from 2002 to 2008, later became Emeritus President.
World Open final appearances
British Open final appearances
Honors and awards
- 1981 – At age 17 became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia's Geoff Hunt in final.
- 1984 – Featured on a Government of Pakistan issued postage stamp.
- 1999 – Sport and Youth Award by French Government
- 2005 – Times Award – Time Magazine named Khan as one of Asia's Heroes in the last 60 years.
- 2007 – Awarded an honorary degree of Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University.
- 2017 – Featured on a Government of *an issued commemorative stamp
- 2018 – Winner of the 8th Asian Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sport
- 2023 – Nishan-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan.
Philanthropy
In 2018, Khan became global President of Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF) in a ceremony held at *an. SAF was founded by former cricketer Shahid Afridi which aims to provide healthcare and education facilities in Pakistan.
See also
- List of squash players
- Jansher Khan
- World Open
- British Open Squash Championships
- World Squash Federation
- List of Pakistanis
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jahangir Khan.- Jahangir Khan – PSA player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 20 March 2012)
- Jahangir Khan at Squash Info
- The Incredible Khans of Squash: Part III Jahangir
- The Khan Family, A Squash Dynasty Part III
- Pakistan Squash – The Khan Supremacy Part VII
- Jahangir Khan page at Squashpics.com
- Details of Jahangir's rivalry with Jansher Khan
- Article on Jahangir's hardball squash rivalry with Mark Talbott
- World Squash Awards
- The KhanSquash Management Group – (archived)
