Two Pakistani skiers to compete in Pyeongchang Winter Games

[ghazi52]

Two Pakistani skiers to compete in Pyeongchang Winter Games

MOHAMMAD Karim...another feather in cap after 2014 Sochi Games participation. / Syed Haman Shah...has trained in Turkey and Czech Republic for the Games.

GILGIT: Two skiers from Pakistan, Mohammad Karim and Syed Haman Shah who both hail from the Naltar valley of Gilgit Baltistan have qualified for the Winter Olympics 2018, to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from Feb 9-25, the Ski Federation of Pakistan announced on Monday.

More than 40 countries are participating in the Winter Olympics.

“This is a historical moment for Pakistan as our two skiers have qualified for three slots in the upcoming Winter Games in South Korea,” a delighted Secretary General SFP Air Commodore Shahid Nadeem told Dawn on Monday. “Both the skiers have done a marvellous job in the process of qualification for Olympics.”

Olympian Karim, who also represented Pakistan in the Sochi Winter Games 2014, will be competing in the slalom and giant slalom categories while Haman, 26, shall represent Pakistan in the cross country category.

This is the first time when two Pakistani skiers have qualified for the Winter Olympics.

In the year 2000, the first Pakistani skier to get the honour was Mohammad Abbas who competed in the slalom category in the Vancouver Winter Games. Then it was Karim in the Sochi Games in 2014.

“I am really delighted to represent Pakistan once again,” said Karim. “I have been getting good training from top coaches both inside and outside the country with tremendous support from the Pakistan Air Force and SFP and therefore I am much more confident about doing well at the Pyeongchang Games.”

Haman, who is Karim’s nephew, has been representing Pakistan Army since 2009. He has also gone through extensive training and coaching with the help PAF and SFP in Turkey and the Czech Rpublic and hopes to excel in the Games next month.

“I am fit and in form to meet my opponents in South Korea,” said Haman. “Inshallah I will do my best to keep the country’s flag flying in the Olympics.”

Top coach Group Captain (rtd) Zahid Hussain and Air Cmmodore (rtd) Sohail are also very confident about the performance of the two skiers in the Games. “This is indeed a great achievement of Pakistan to send two skiers in three categories for the first time in the history of winter sport here,” said Zahid.

“The SFP has been trying very hard to promote the winter sports in Pakistan and with the number of skiers and fine facilities here, we will soon be among the top winter sports country in the region,” said Sohail.

“For the cross country competition we must give credit to SFP secretary general Shahid for getting the two skiers the best possible training in Czech Republic and in Turkey,” they said.

Meanwhile, media advisor SFP Obaidur Rehman Abbasi informed that the two skiers will be leaving for South Korea in the first week of February.

 

[war&peace]

Excellent news...I have been skiing here though no where close to professional level but I did some downhill at Hammarbybacken..in March I plan to go to Åre...

 

[Nilgiri]

BEst of luck! I will be rooting for all the underdogs I see in the games! The time zones are kinda bad this year for me tho.

 

[ghazi52]

Winter Olympics: Pakistan puts faith in skiers

Picture used for representation purposes. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: “It’s the second time he is there, isn’t that something?” Pakistan’s 2014 Winter Olympian Mohammad Karim’s brother and skier Sher Afzal say, as the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea runs on the television. “That’s my brother and the other skier is Syed Human, my nephew. Can you believe it? Our very own boys.”

Pakistan may have a small history at the Winter Games but it surely is a remarkable one. The country made their debut at the Games in 2010 with Muhammad Abbas becoming the first Winter Olympian for Pakistan, while the 23-year-old Karim is at the Games for the second time in his career.

This fact says a lot about the skiing sanctuary Naltar, which has produced three Winter Olympians now for the country, with the 25-year-old Human, who has also been the national cross country champion while representing Army domestically, making his debut at this year’s Games.

Human had a great time in Finland competing in three races while also skiing in other four in Turkey to qualify for the Games’ cross-country event. Karim, meanwhile, went to Turkey for the qualifiers, but his trip was cut short as he had to come back for his mother. He never started his last race in Turkey at the Giant Slalom event on January 6.

“It’s a great achievement for us, I’m a skier myself, I know this is huge, Karim has done it again, we are so happy for him” Afzal, a Pakistan Air Force skier told The Express Tribune. “My whole family can’t contain themselves. It’s two of our boys, but then it’s a great thing for the entire country. They are representing Pakistan at the highest level. Everyone in Gilgit-Baltistan is proud, my small village Naltar is proud, it’s something that will remain with us all forever.”

Karim will ski in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events on February 18 and 22, while Human will have his debut run on February 16, and Afzal says that everyone in Naltar will be watching them.

“I’m excited we have the setup at the PAF base here and we’ll watch them take that run,” said Afzal.

Karim will be looking to improve Pakistan’s 2014 Winter Olympics record, where he finished the first run on a 4,495 feet track in one minute and 43.44 seconds in the Giant Slalom event, outpacing an Indian skier and ending the event on 71st position.

“I know for sure that Karim will make us proud,” Karim’s brother Afzal added. “When he was leaving I told him that he is doing great and that he needs to raise the Pakistan flag high.”