ISLAMABAD: Pakistani judoka Shah Hussain will be flying to Brazil from Japan on Tuesday to participate in the Olympics, scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro from Aug 5 to 21.

Shah Hussain is the son of the medal winning pugilist Hussain Shah and is the only athlete who sealed a place at the coveted multi-sports event under continental quota.

Talking to APP, Pakistan Judo Federation’s secretary Masood Ahmed stated that Shah’s performance had been outstanding in Olympic qualifiers.

“Shah Hussain has created history (in under-100kg weight category) as he is the first Pakistani judoka to ever qualify for the Olympics,” he said.

Shah, also won a gold in South Asian Games held in Shillong, India, in February this year.

In Rio, Shah Hussain will be looking forward to emulate his father Hussain Shah’s feats who had won the bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

“Shah is country’s only hope. We are positive that Shah Hussain will do well in the Olympics,” Masood said.

He added that future of judo looks bright in the country due to government’s support.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2016