Jahangir Khan (

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

/ ur, جهانگير خان born 10 December 1963) 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. He won the World Open title six 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 th ...

title ten times (1982-1991). Jahangir Khan is widely regarded as the greatest squash player of all time.

Early life

Khan was born into

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

family from Neway Kelay Payan,

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 ...

. During his career he won the World Open six times and the

a record ten consecutive times. He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the

World Squash Federation The World Squash Federation (WSF) is the Sport governing body, international federation for Squash (sport), squash, an indoor racket sport which was formerly called "squash rackets". The WSF is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (I ...

from 2002 to 2008. Later in 2008, he became Emeritus President of the

. He is the son of

Roshan Khan Roshan Khan (Pashto / ur, ; 26 November 1929 – 6 January 2006) was a squash player from Nawakille, Peshawar, Pakistan. He was one of the leading players in the game in the early-1960s, and won the British Open title in 1957.

, brother of

Torsam Khan Torsam Khan (sometimes spelled "Torsan Khan") was a squash player from Pakistan. He belonged to a Pashtun family from Nave kali, Peshawar, Pakistan. He is the son of the 1957 British Open champion Roshan Khan, and the older brother of Jahangir Kh ...

and a cousin of both Rehmat Khan and British singer

Natasha Khan Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia. Notable people * Natasha, the subject of '' Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book * Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican s ...

(better known as

Bat for Lashes Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released five studio albums: ''Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Haun ...

. He currently lives in Karachi, Pakistan with his wife Ghazala (m.1999) and his three children.

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. 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

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 ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

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 Japan issued commemorative stamp * 2018 – Winner of the 8th Asian Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sport

Philanthropy

In 2018, Khan became global President of Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF) in a ceremony held at Japan. SAF was founded by former cricketer

Shahid Afridi Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi ( ur, شاہد افریدی‎, ps, شاهد افریدی; born 1 March 1977), known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. He is current ...

which aims to provide

healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

and

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

facilities in Pakistan.Shahid Afridi, Jahangir Khan come forward to help minorities in fighting pandemic
Retrieved, The Statesman, 5 April 2020

References

External links

* *
The Incredible Khans of Squash: Part III Jahangir

* ttp://www.squashsite.co.uk/world_squash_awards.htm World Squash Awards
The KhanSquash Management Group
– (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Jahangir Pakistani male squash players Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of the Pride of Performance Pashtun people 1963 births Living people Khan family (squash) Government Islamia College alumni