[ad_1]
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Iranian judo coach Sajjad Kazemi said on Wednesday that promising boxer Qaisar Khan Afridi could do well in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam on October 21-23.
“Qaisar’s confidence level is much better now. He will also attack and manage the counter-attack. He has gotten smarter,” Sajad told The News on his way to Islamabad airport hours before his flight to Abu Dhabi newspaper”.
Sajjad will be the first of the three-man Pakistani team to arrive in Abu Dhabi. He will be joined by Qaisar Afridi from Pakistan and two-time Olympian Shah Hussain from Tokyo.
Despite the financial problems, a senior official from the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) confirmed to this reporter on Wednesday that both Qaisar and Shah will participate in all three of the Olympic qualifiers in Abu Dhabi, Perth and Baku within 17 days. event.
“I trained Qaisar when he was facing a lot of problems. He is much better now than at the Commonwealth Games and Islamic Games,” said Sajad.
“This time he’s going to win a couple of wins. He looks more confident.
“I’ve advised him to apply positive techniques that will help him get points,” the coach said.
“If he gets some good draws then I hope he does better and climbs the ladder,” said Sajad, who will secure entries for Shah and Kesar on Thursday (today).
According to the statistics of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, there are 34 in the -90kg category and 36 in the -100kg category. Qaisar will compete in the -100kg category.
Shah will flex his muscles in the -90kg range. The Birmingham Commonwealth Games was his first fight in this weight class.
Sajad said the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam will be more competitive. “This is a special event because as an Olympic qualifier, the world’s top fighters will be competing. It will see how smart our fighters are in the most competitive environment,” Sajjad said.
He said he would also learn how Shah shaped himself. “I will know how Shah prepares for this event. He is an experienced player and knows a lot about this type of event and hopefully he can contribute as well,” Sajjad said.
“You face new fighters in every game and you need to be very smart on the mat,” said Sajjad, who is coaching Pakistan for the second time.
Pakistan was expected to be represented in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam by three fighters, but Hamid Ali (+100kg) was unable to compete due to NOC issues.
He is a regular employee of the Navy and requires a note verbale to secure his UAE visa.
It is worth mentioning that Shah is a double Olympic player and finished fifth in the 2019 UAE Grand Slam.
[ad_2]
Source link