Jahangir Khan, arguably the greatest squash player the world has ever seen, was honored with the Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award at the 2018 Asian Awards held in London late last month.
The squash legend was recognised for taking the sport to unsurpassed heights, something which Paul Sagoo, the founder of The Asian Awards, was quick to point out at the ceremony.
“The achievements of Jahangir Khan are a true marvel in sporting history,” he said. “Jahangir dominated the game of squash in the 1980s and his legacy is one which will be remembered for decades to come. We are delighted to welcome Jahangir Khan to the 8th Asian Awards to celebrate his illustrious career and honour him with the Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award.”
A glittering career
The Karachi-born Jahangir Khan comes from a distinguished family of squash greats, with his father Roshan Khan a former 1957 British Open champion. Jahangir Khan became World Amateur Squash Champion at the age of just 15. While that achievement was widely hailed, little did people realize that this was only the beginning of a long, record-breaking journey, which would bring glory to both the sport and the country.
Jahangir Khan went on to become the youngest ever World Open Champion at 17. He won this title a total of six times. He was also the first player to win the World Open without dropping a single game. Even more creditably, he also won the prestigious British Open a record 10 times. He still holds the record of remaining unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches played over a period of five years and eight months.
Jahangir Khan has been honored by the Pakistan government with the awards of Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz for his achievements in squash. In addition, Time Magazine has named him as one of Asia’s Heroes of the last 60 years.
Previous winners
The Outstanding Achievement in Sports Award has previously been won by the likes of cricket superstars Sachin Tendulkar, Muttiah Muralitharan, MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara, as well as Premier League footballer Son Heung-Min and world snooker champion Ding Junhui.
Among the previous winners of The Asian Awards in other categories are prominent global figures like Bruce Lee, Zayn Malik, Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman, Jack Ma, Dr Amar Bose, Sir David Tang, Freddie Mercury, Kunal Nayyar and the late Ahmed Kathrada.
About the awards
The Asian Awards is an annual award ceremony for the global Asian community, which takes place in the UK. Founded in 2010, the awards consist of 14 categories that encompass business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport.
This year’s event was hosted by renowned comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar and was attended by notable politicians, dignitaries, celebrities, industrialists and influencers.