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Bagging a silver medal in a Chinese martial art in China is surely a big thing, one which Pakistan’s Ijaz Ahmed achieved at the recently concluded XVI Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Participating in the 75-kg category, he defeated Mongolia’s Batjargal Magsarjav 2-0 to reach the final where he fell 0-2 to Iran’s Hamireza Gholipour to end up with silver, which also happens to be the highest medal in any martial arts discipline won by any Pakistani at the Asian Games. Ahmed speaks to Dawn's Shazia Hasan:
Q. How does it feel and did you really expect to excel at the Asiad? A. You work hard at something with a specific goal in sight. The Pakistan wushu team trained for six months prior to the Asiad, which also included a month-long camp in China back in July. So yes, I was aiming at making my mark at the Asian Games. My colleague Syed Muratab Ali Shah got in Doha, Qatar, in 2006 and I improved on that result by getting silver this time. It feels great!
Q. How has the achievement changed your life? A. I have become popular. Many people recognise me now.
Q. Have you received any honours or awards from the government after your Asian Games triumph? A. Well, there was an announcement of a Rs2 million reward by the Prime Minister but it has not been handed to me as yet. I belong to Punjab but have yet to receive any appreciation or honour from the Government of Punjab.
It feels rather strange to me to see so much appreciation for our cricket or hockey teams when they achieve anything but when it comes to other sports such as wushu, there is a big bias. A medal is a medal after all. It is won for the country no matter which sport it comes through.
Q. Is there money to make in wushu? A. Well, yes, if you turn professional but we in Pakistan compete as amateurs.
Q. Have you made any other international appearances for Pakistan? A. Yes, I ended up sixth in my previous appearance in the Doha Asian Games and got gold the same year [2006] in the South Asian Games that were held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Q. How did you get into Wushu? A. I belong to Jalalpur Jattan district, which is situated near Gujrat. Wushu is a big thing in my area. My elder brother got into wushu first and that’s when I developed an interest in the sport also. I joined my wushu club in 1998 and became the national champion in 1999. It is 2010 now and winning each year for my department, Wapda, I am still the reigning champion of Pakistan.
Q. So what’s next on your agenda? A. There is the World Wushu Championship that I hope to compete in next year. Also the South Asian Games that will take place in India in late 2011 or early 2012.
Q. So when and how do you train to maintain your form? A. I train for four hours daily-two hours of practice in the morning with another two-hour session in the evening. Training includes boxing, wrestling and judo-karate sessions along with running and weight training.
Q. Do you follow any special diet? A. Well, yes, we do follow a proper and balanced diet plan provided to us by the Pakistan Sports Board. You know chicken, rice, vegetables, fruit, soups and juices with very little salt and hardly any chillies. We are mindful about what we eat ourselves, too.
Q. What are your views on doping and the use of steroids to win? A. We have been educated about the dangers of taking dope by our coaches. We have also been advised to not take any medicines prescribed to us by any doctor other than the Sports Board’s panel of doctors. If we take any supplements or vitamins, they too have to be provided to us through the Board. We strictly follow these guidelines.
Q. Has the love for the sport affected your studies in any way? A. Yes, I could only manage to study up to intermediate. And now that I think about pursuing my education, I just don’t get the time to do it.
Q. What else do you do? A. We run a family computer business which takes up most of my time after wushu.
