Ahsan Ayaz: Squash's Supreme Sensation
Dunya News recently had the privilege of chatting with the young superstar
(WebDesk) - A sportsman by profession, a philanthropist by action and a patriot by heart, Ahsan Ayaz turned heads all around the world and made headlines when he returned to his homeland, Pakistan with the World Squash Junior Championship in his palms. The 19-year-old is on the mission of rejuvenating the sport of squash by following the footsteps of his sporting ideals, Jahangir and Jahansher Khan; the duo who made Pakistan famous all around the world courtesy their impeccable performances.
For Ahsan, nothing is more important than reliving the days of the past when Pakistan used to rule the world in the sport. The elegant left-hander who leaves his mark with physical fitness, sharpened intellect and mental strength at the court, vows to revive squash in Pakistan once more.
Ahsan Ayaz holding the World Squash Junior Championship with pride. Photo: Dunya
Pakistan’s latest young sensation, who has under his belt, notable achievements and prestigious world awards currently ranks 96th in the world rankings but aims to become the best squash player the world has ever seen.
Dunya News recently had the privilege of chatting with the young superstar to look into his life, his aims, achievements, aspirations and future goals.
Q) How were you introduced to squash and growing up, who was your sporting ideal?
AA: Well growing up, I always considered myself as an intelligent student. Since I was good at multitasking, I always wanted to pursue something else along with my studies. I remember I was in the fifth grade when my elder brother introduced me to squash. At that time, I was reluctant to start but as time passed I fell in love with the sport. For me, Pakistan’s heroes, Jahangir and Jahansher Khan were obviously my favorites. Internationally, however, I follow Egyptian international Amr Shabana because he was a left-hander like myself.
Q) Of all the trophies, prizes and achievements you have under your belt, what would you consider your brightest/proudest moment thus far?
AA: Every title that I have won has a special place in my heart and I will always remember each and every title win but the closest to my heart would obviously be the World Junior Championship that I won in Poland. Right after this, I also won the Malaysian Tour 4. That prize is also very special to me since the tournament consisted of senior players as well.
Ahsan after winning the Malaysian Tour 4 Circuit for Men. Photo: Dunya
Q) Did you face any problems initially? Was your family supportive in your decision to pursue squash as a profession?
AA: To be honest, I did face some financial constraints in the start since Squash is a very expensive sport. But when I contested in my first ever tournament in Lahore, I managed to secure the runner-up position. Seeing that, my father started to take squash very seriously and so he started supporting me greatly. Ever since that win, there was no turning back for me and by the grace of Almighty I was able to justify my parent’s support by winning more and more titles.
Q) Who would you consider your biggest competitor in the squash court?
AA: I treat every one of my competitor the same way. For me, every player has their own sets of strengths and weaknesses, something that I look into prior to every encounter.
Q) Talk a bit about your current world ranking. How do you aim to improve it further?
AA: Well, just recently I managed to secure my highest ever ranking; 87th in the world. Now, however, this number has dropped by nine and I am now ranked 96th. For me, improving my world ranking is my utmost priority because moving closer and closer to the top 10 is not only a milestone for me personally, but a feat for the entire nation. To work on this, I travel around the world and train with international coaches. I came back from Spain just weeks prior, specifically for the purpose of training and gaining experience. I am also in contact with American coaches that bestow their professional wisdom on me. Other than that, I am always practicing with my guides and coaches in Peshawar. Basically, I would say that improving my ranking is not easy and something that obviously requires a lot of hard work, but I am working towards achieving my goals.
The 19-year-old aspires to break into the top 20 in the next five years. Photo: Dunya
Q) You have represented Pakistan all around the world, where did you enjoy playing the most and why?
AA: Poland and Malaysia obviously. That is probably because I won my most notable and prideworthy titles in those two countries.
Q) How do you maintain your diet? What are you refrained from eating as an athlete?
AA: This is a very important and an interesting question that most people ignore to be honest. Well, to become an athlete, maintaining one’s diet should be the top preference because all your time in the training grounds, squash courts and gyms is worthless if you are not ready to eat what is healthy. Most professional athletes in Pakistan are completely uneducated when it comes to nutrition. I personally feel that nutrition directly affects an athlete’s performance therefore; I consider it more as a science than anything else to be honest. I took guidance from one of the best nutritionists in the world and now I follow a very specific diet. I calculate the amount of carbs, fats and protein my body requires. For instance, right now I weigh 65kgs. For an athlete like myself, 1.6g of protein is required by my muscles per kilogram, which means that I have to intake 96g (1.6x65) protein per day. Similarly, my body needs to consume 60-65% of carbohydrates for efficient functioning.
Q) Do you think cricket has taken the limelight away from squash?
AA: To be honest, if we look at the youth of today, a majority of the kids are obsessed with cricket due to which other sports like squash are largely ignored. I feel that the mainstream media has a lot to play in this because all the media does is document more and more cricket, stealing the limelight away from other international sports. This is plain common sense that if a child or a teenager has zero awareness about a sport, why would he have any interest in playing that sport? Games like Squash, Hockey, Snooker and Boxing have been completely wiped out because of biased media coverage towards Cricket.
Q) What are some of the difficulties faced by upcoming squash players of today? How can the government intervene and help such individuals?
AA: Well honestly, this is exactly the reason why I built the Ahsan Ayaz Sports Foundation (AAS). I would never count on the government to help such individuals because a lot of talent has been wasted in this country because of clear negligence by the higher authorities. Firstly, it is a reality that squash is a fairly expensive sport if played at the professional level. Not only is the equipment expensive, conducting national and international tours, consulting nutritionists and hiring professional coaches is economically unfeasible for many. Owing to this, many individuals leave the sport and direct their attention towards other sports like Cricket.
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For Ayaz, more and more attention should be paid to sports like Squash. Photo: Dunya
Q) A former sportsman Imran Khan, is all set to become Prime Minister of Pakistan. Do you feel sports like squash could really benefit in his tenure.
AA: Politicians make plain false promises and have been known to do so, but the scenario is a bit different with Mr. Imran because he was an ex-sportsman himself. One could only hope that the positive change he wishes to implement becomes a reality soon so that sports other than Cricket could get a chance to flourish fully.
Q) Have you ever been appreciated by any political leader or government official?
AA: Well it is highly unfortunate that an individual who brought long lost glory back to the country that once took pride in being World Champions of Squash, was not appreciated by any government official. It is a sad fact that the provincial government of KP didn’t even invite, congratulate or reward me, so how can I expect myself to be appreciated on a federal level?
Q) Where does Ahsan Ayaz Ahsan see himself in the next 10 years?
AA: I wouldn’t think too far ahead but I aim to see myself amongst the top 20 in the world within the next five years at least. Other than that, I would love to see my foundation functioning successfully and nurturing upcoming talents so they could become the heroes and superstars of tomorrow, God willing.
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Ayaz sets his eyes on the World No.1 ranking in the years to come. Photo: Dunya
By: Raacikh Asghar
