Jansher Khan PP SI HI ( ur, جان شیر خان; born 15 June 1969, in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

) is a former World No. 1 professional Pakistani

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

player. During his career, he won the World Open a record eight times, and the

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later ...

six times. Jansher Khan is widely regarded as one of the greatest squash players of all time. Ranked number 1 in the world from January 1988 till January 1998, (513 weeks) (118 months) (9.8 Years) Jansher Khan's retirement in 2001 brought an end to nearly 50 years of domination by Pakistan in the sport of squash. He was troubled by back, knee and groin injuries throughout his career.

Career

Jansher Khan started his career with a fractured hand at the age of 11, in 1981. He first came to prominence at the age of 16 when he won the

World Junior Squash Championships The World Junior Squash championships are the official junior tournament in the game of squash conducted by the World Squash Federation (WSF). Entry is open to individuals aged 19 and below. Since its inception the world juniors has been held bie ...

in Australia in 1986 and then the Senior World Open title in same year, by beating

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar (born 16 January 1964) is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player. Dittmar is widely considered to be the "best player never to have won" one of squash's two biggest titles. H ...

in the final. At the age of 16 he became the youngest winner in the history of squash and in the same year he also defeated world No.1

Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan (Pashto/ ur, جهانگير خان born 10 December 1963) is a former World No. 1 professional Pakistani squash player. He won the World Open title six times , and the British Open title ten times (1982-1991). Jahangir Khan is ...

in Hong Kong Open. Jansher Khan started his career as an employee of

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

. He was known for his lightning quick reflexes and movement around the court. During his illustrious career, he won PSA Professional 293 matches out of total 331 and PSA Professional Tour Finals 99 out of 118. which is a record in the history of squash, while his other main competitor

won PSA professional 134 matches out of total 164 and PSA Professional Tour Finals 61 out of 80. Jansher Khan officially announced his retirement from squash in 2001. In late 2011 he was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...

. In 2020, after suffering from severe back pain while praying and walking, Khan underwent double back surgery successfully at a local hospital in

, Pakistan.Jansher undergoes double back surgery successfully
Dawn (newspaper), Published 1 August 2020, Retrieved 8 September 2020 Jansher Khan had these words of advice for young players after his successful surgery:

"I would advise today's young players that along with their hard training they must take special care of their back, knee and groin injuries and treat minor ailments timely to avoid serious problems in future."

Squash Coaching

In September 2020 on request of the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mahmood Khan Mahmood Khan (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 30 October 1972) is a Pakistani politician and a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who is currently serving as the 27th Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in office since 17 August 2018. He has been ...

squash legend Jansher Khan joined the directorate general sports

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

as a head squash coach the facilities available to athletes in

are unmatched in any other country. Squash is the only sport in which coaching and training is very important. Due to lack of good training and coaching, the best talents of the province is being wasted. The government has fulfilled his desire to train the children of the province by providing coaching opportunities. Jansher Khan said that he will do his best to fill the gap created in the game of squash and make the country a new world champion.

JanSher Khan and Jahangir Khan Rivalry

Among the pantheon of all time squash greats, there are two men that share a name. Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan dominated the sport for the best part of two decades. During the 1980s and 1990s they won the majority of 14 World Open titles and 16 British Open titles most are played between them. The records cover the 36 matches played between Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan from their first meeting at the Pakistan Open in 1986, to their clash in the final of the Spanish Open in March 1991. From 36 matches played between Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan. Jansher Khan won 19 Matches and Jahangir Khan won 17 matches. Jansher Khan crown 8 Record World Open and 06 British Open wile Jahangir Khan Crown 06 World Open and 10 British Open.

36 Matches (19 Win, 17 runner-up)

Awards and recognition

Hilal-i-Imtiaz The ''Hilaal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal") civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the ...

(Crescent of Excellence) Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(Star of Excellence) Award by the President of Pakistan in 1993 *

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award by the President of Pakistan in 1988

World Open final appearances

9 finals (8 titles, 1 runner-up)

Major World Series final appearances

: 9 finals (6 titles, 3 runner-up) * Hong Kong Squash Open: 9 finals (8 titles, 1 runner-up) *

Pakistan Open The Pakistan Open is a golf tournament organised by the Pakistan Golf Federation that was first played in 1967. In 1989, it was an included on the Asia Golf Circuit, and in 2006, 2007, and 2018 was part of the Asian Tour. History Pakistan has a ...

: 9 finals (6 titles, 3 runner-up) * World Super Series: 4 finals (4 titles, 0 runner-up)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Jansher Pakistani male squash players Pashtun people 1969 births Living people Racket sportspeople from Peshawar Recipients of the Pride of Performance Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz