Guy Cook - wisdom of crowds Article completion date: July 2006 Jahangir Khan's Unbeaten Run British Open final, March 1981 (Bromley) - Geoff Hunt (Aus) bt Jahangir Khan (Pak) 9-2, 9-7, 5-9, 9-7 World Open Final, 11 Nov 1986 (Toulouse) - Ross Norman (NZ) bt Jahangir Khan (Pak) 9-5, 9-7, 7-9, 9-1 And in between those matches, for five and a half years, Jahangir Khan didn't lose a single squash match. He won 555 consecutive matches (774 according to some sources). This included five straight British Open titles and five straight World Open titles. This is the first entry in my Sports section because this is phenomenal; and as far as I can see, unprecedented in any sport - the closest contender being, perhaps, Ed Moses who won 122 straight 400m hurdles races over almost ten years. Let's assume Jahangir won 555 straight matches.

This is 100 matches per year, which roughly equates to 20 tournaments if you get to the final in each one. So each year, he entered 20 tournaments and won them all - for five and a half years. If someone like Roger Federer (2005) or John McEnroe (1984) only loses three tennis matches in a year they are feted as one of the best players ever - so to not lose at all for five and a half years seems unbelievable. Ross Norman's victory made worldwide headlines, so predictable was a Jahangir victory. Here are a few facts about Jahangir Khan, the unbeaten run, and squash in the Jahangir Khan period. Jahangir was 17 at the start of the run and 22 when it finished. He spoke later of the mounting pressure he felt each time he went on court to defend the record. Ross Norman was the world number two at the time of his win and had lost something like 30 times to Jahangir - including the 1985 World Open final and the 1986 British Open final.

He had been in pursuit of Jahangir for a while and had claimed "One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him." He was ranked number two throughout 1986 and 1987 before Jansher Khan emerged. He retired in 1994, largely staying in the top ten until then. After the defeat Jahangir went unbeaten for another nine months, including victory over Ross Norman a few weeks after the defeat. Jahangir was finally matched in world squash soon after Jansher Khan emerged in 1986. Jahangir won the first three matches against Jansher, but was beaten by Jansher in September 1987. Jansher then beat Jahangir in their next seven matches (to make eight consecutive wins), but Jahangir turned it around to win 11 of their next 15 matches. The rivalry largely dominated the sport until the early '90s. They played 37 times, Jansher winning 19 times and Jahangir 18.

After the unbeaten run finished, Jahangir won one more World Open (in 1988, beating Jansher in the final) and reached two more finals (in 1991 and 1993). He continued to dominate the British Open, winning the next five for a total of ten straight titles from 1982 - 1991. His overall total was six World Opens and ten British Opens, and, of course, numerous other titles. Jansher ended up with eight World Open titles and six British Opens (he won the next six British Opens after Jahangir's dominance was ended, from 1992-1997). Apart from Ross Norman's 1986 World Open victory, Rodney Martin of Australia was the only person to break the Jahangir/Jansher dominance of the World Open and British Open between 1981 and 1996 - winning the 1991 World Open title (beating both Jahangir and Jansher in the tournament).

The duopoly was otherwise ended when Rodney Eyles (Australia) won the World Open in 1997 and Peter Nicol (UK) won the British Open in 1998, but no player has dominated these events in anything like the same way since. The world number one ranking was obviously dominated by Jahangir and Jansher from 1982 to 1997 - Jansher took over in 1988 and the number one and two rankings swapped between them after that, until Jahangir's retirement. Jahangir also raided the North American hardball squash circuit between 1983 and 1986. He played 13 tournaments, winning 12. He played the leading American player, Mark Talbott, in 11 finals - beating him 10 times. His loss was in the final of the 1984 Boston Open, 18-16 in the fifth game. Hardball squash is the American version of the game, played with a harder, faster ball, on a smaller court. It is much less played now (except the doubles version) as most Americans have switched to playing the international version.

Mark Talbott is cited as one of the greatest hardcourt players (he was hardball squash world number one from 1983 - 1995). It seems almost arrogant that Jahangir just wandered over to the US about three or four times a year to win one of the top tournaments and beat one of their greatest ever players. Jahangir's squash style was built on incredible fitness and stamina, backed by a gruelling training program, which he used to grind all his opponents down with long, hard-hitting rallies. His initial motivation and drive came from the death of his elder brother, Torsam Khan, from a heart attack in a squash tournament in 1979, aged 27. Torsam Khan was a top player (ranked world number 13 in 1979). In fact, the Khan family formed a squash dynasty, with a number of world ranking members. Jahangir was initially coached by his father, Roshan Khan (who was British Open champion in 1957), and then by his cousin Rehmat Khan (ranked at world number 12 at his best).

Jahangir retired in 1993, after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. [The World Team Championship is held every two years and has three men in each team, with group matches followed by quarter finals, semi finals and final. Not surprisingly Pakistan won it in 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987, although Australia won it in 1989 and 1991. Pakistan hasn't won it since 1993.] Jahangir has remained active in world squash and is currently President of the World Squash Federation. Jansher retired in 2001. For more information and further links, see the Wikipedia page, Wikipedia page on Jahangir Khan . World Open results are here and British Open results here . The Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings and historical rankings (back to 1984) can be obtained by clicking on Rankings on the left hand side of the PSA site . Jahangir Khan | Wiki | 📖 Everipedia × Want to change something on this page or create your own? Register today, it's fast and free.

Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan while attending an event held in Pearl-Continental , Karachi in 2012. Country (1963-12-10) 10 December 1963 (age 52) Karachi, Pakistan W (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988) Last updated on: 19 September 2010. Top Page Editors HI , ( Pashto : جهانگير خان‎)born 10 December 1963 in Karachi , Pakistan [2] (sometimes spelled "Jehangir Khan") is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered to be the greatest player in the history of squash. [3] [4] [5] Jahangir Khan is originally from Neway Kelay Payan, Peshawar . [6] During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times. From 1981 to 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play.

During that time he won 555 matches consecutively, the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sports as recorded by Guinness World Records . [7] He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation from 2002 to 2008, when he became Emeritus President. [8] Playing career Jahangir was coached initially by his father, Roshan , the 1957 British Open champion, then by his late brother Torsam . After his brother's sudden death he was coached by his cousin Rehmat Khan , who guided Jahangir through most of his career. Jahangir was physically very weak as a child. Though the doctors had advised him not to take part in any sort of physical activity, after undergoing a couple of hernia operations his father let him play and try out their family game. In 1979, the Pakistan selectors decided not to select Jahangir to play in the world championships in Australia, judging him too weak from a recent illness.

[9] Jahangir decided instead to enter the World Amateur Individual Championship and, at the age of 15, became the youngest-ever winner of that event. In November 1979, Jahangir's older brother Torsam, who had been one of the leading international squash players in the 1970s, died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam's death profoundly affected Jahangir. He considered quitting the game, but decided to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother. Notable achievements First player to win World Open Championships without dropping a game Played the second longest match in the squash history 2.46 h Five-year unbeaten run In 1981, when he was 17, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia's Geoff Hunt (the game's dominant player in the late-1970s) in the final. That tournament marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and 555 matches. The hallmark of his play was his incredible fitness and stamina, which Rehmat Khan helped him build up through a punishing training and conditioning regime.

Jahangir was quite simply the fittest player in the game, and would wear his opponents down through long rallies played at a furious pace. In 1982, Jahangir astonished everyone by winning the International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point. The unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the World Open in 1986 in Toulouse , France, when Jahangir lost to New Zealand's Ross Norman . Norman had been in pursuit of Jahangir's unbeaten streak, being beaten time and time again. "One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him", he vowed for five years. Speaking about his unbeaten streak, Jahangir said: "It wasn't my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986." "The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months.

I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat." Success in the hardball game With his dominance over the international squash game in the first half of the 1980s secure, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball squash circuit in 1983–1986. (Hardball squash is a North American variant of the game, played on smaller courts with a faster-moving ball.) Jahangir played in 13 top-level hardball tournaments during this period, winning 12 of them. He faced the leading American player on the circuit at the time, Mark Talbott , on 11 occasions (all in tournament finals), and won 10 of their encounters. With his domination of both the softball and hardball versions of the game, Jahangir truly cemented his reputation as the world's greatest squash player. His success in North America is considered by some observers to be among the factors which led to growing interest in the international "softball" version of squash in the continent, and the demise of the hardball game in the late-1980s and 1990s.

Rivalry with Jansher Khan At the end of 1986 another Pakistani squash player, Jansher Khan , appeared on the international scene to challenge Jahangir's domination. Jahangir won their first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987. But Jansher scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters and capture the 1987 World Open title. Jahangir ended Jansher's winning streak in March 1988, and went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final, with Jahangir emerging the victor. But by that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players. The pair would continue to dominate the game for the rest of the decade. Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in tournament play.

Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points). This record doesn't include exhibition matches and league matches between them. Jahangir did not win the World Open again after 1988, but he continued a stranglehold over the British Open title which he captured a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991. World Open final appearances 2–9, 7–9, 9–5, 7–9 Training regimen In a documentary on himself telecast on GEO Super , Jahangir revealed that he never had any fixed training regimen particularly designed for him, nor had he any specially formulated diet - he would eat anything hygienic but never miss two glasses of milk every day. For his training, he would often start his day with a 9-mile (14 km) jog which he would complete in 60–120 minutes at a moderate pace, followed by short bursts of timed sprints. Later he would weight train in the gym finally cooling down in the pools.

He would follow this routine 5 days a week. On the 6th day he would match practice and rest on the 7th day. He also said that he has experienced running on every surface - from custom-built tracks to asphalt roads, grass & farm fields to sea shores & knee-deep waters. Sometimes he would also visit the northern areas of Pakistan to train in high altitude fields under low oxygen conditions. All in all it made Jahangir one of the most physically and mentally fit athletes in the world. Awards, services and recognition Jahangir retired as a player in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. The Government of Pakistan honoured Jahangir with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Distinction) for his achievements in squash. They also awarded him the title of Sportsman of the Millennium. “ Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan, and Jansher Khan are the best squash players the world has ever known, with Jahangir the best of the three. If Hollywood only knew his story of tragedy, grit and determination it would make another movie like Chariots of Fire .

Many of those who know him consider him the best athlete who ever lived. ” — Former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf on Jahangir's achievements. In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association , and in 1997, Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation. He was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation in November 1998, and in October 2002 was elected WSF President. In 2004, he was again unanimously re-elected as President of the World Squash Federation at the International Federation's 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius . Time Magazine has named Jahangir as one of Asia's Heroes in the last 60 years. [2] Jahangir Khan was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport. Due to his immense and absolute dominance in squash he was nicknamed "The Conqueror" (a loose translation of his first name).

Personal life Jahangir and his family originate from a village near Peshawar named Nawakille SWABI ( نواں کلی صوابی )(sometimes spelled "Noakili"). [2] He currently lives in Karachi with his wife Rubina, and their two children Mariam and Omar. Jahangir khan - Find My Hero Jahangir khan Home » Jahangir khan - Find My Hero Jahangir khan Jahangir Khan, HI, (born 10 December 1963, in Karachi,Pakistan[1])(sometimes spelled “Jehangir Khan“) is a formerWorld No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game.[2][3][4]Jahangir Khan is originally from Neway Kelay, Peshawar.[5] During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times. From 1981 to 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play.

During that time he won 555 matches consecutively, the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sports as recorded by Guinness World Records.[6] He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation from 2002 to 2008, when he became Emeritus President Jahangir was coached initially by his father, Roshan, the 1957 British Open champion, then by his late brother Torsam. After his brother’s sudden death he was coached by his cousin Rehmat Khan, who guided Jahangir through most of his career. Jahangir was a sickly child and physically very weak.

Though the doctors had advised him not to take part in any sort of physical activity, after undergoing a couple of hernia operations his father let him play and try out their family game.[verification needed] In 1979, the Pakistan selectors decided not to select Jahangir to play in the world championships in Australia, judging him too weak from a recent illness.[verification needed] Jahangir decided instead to enter the World Amateur Individual Championship and, at the age of 15, became the youngest-ever winner of that event.[verification needed] In November 1979, Jahangir’s older brother Torsam, who had been one of the leading international squash players in the 1970s, died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam’s death profoundly affected Jahangir. He considered quitting the game, but decided to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother.

In 1981, when he was 17, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia’s Geoff Hunt (the game’s dominant player in the late-1970s) in the final.[verification needed] That tournament marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and 555 matches. The hallmark of his play was his incredible fitness and stamina, which Rehmat Khan helped him build up through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was quite simply the fittest player in the game, and would wear his opponents down through long rallies played at a furious pace. In 1982, Jahangir astonished everyone by winning the International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point.[verification needed] The unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the World Open in 1986 in Toulouse, France, when Jahangir lost to New Zealand’s Ross Norman.[verification needed] Norman had been in pursuit of Jahangir’s unbeaten streak, being beaten time and time again.

“One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him”, he vowed for five years.[verification needed] Speaking about his unbeaten streak, Jahangir said: “It wasn’t my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986.” “The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months. I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat.” With his dominance over the international squash game in the first half of the 1980s secure, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball squash circuit in 1983–1986.

(Hardball squash is a North American variant of the game, played on smaller courts with a faster-moving ball.) Jahangir played in 13 top-level hardball tournaments during this period, winning 12 of them.[verification needed] He faced the leading American player on the circuit at the time, Mark Talbott, on 11 occasions (all in tournament finals), and won 10 of their encounters.[verification needed] With his domination of both the softball and hardball versions of the game, Jahangir truly cemented his reputation as the world’s greatest squash player. His success in North America is considered by some observers to be among the factors which led to growing interest in the international “softball” version of squash in the continent, and the demise of the hardball game in the late-1980s and 1990s. At the end of 1986 another Pakistani squash player, Jansher Khan, appeared on the international scene to challenge Jahangir’s domination. Jahangir won their first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987.

But Jansher scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters and capture the 1987 World Open title.[verification needed] Jahangir ended Jansher’s winning streak in March 1988, and went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final, with Jahangir emerging the victor.[verification needed] But by that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players. The pair would continue to dominate the game for the rest of the decade. Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in tournament play. Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points).

This record doesn’t include exhibition matches and league matches between them.[verification needed] Jahangir did not win the World Open again after 1988, but he continued a stranglehold over the British Open title which he captured a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991 In a documentary on himself telecast on GEO Super, Jahangir revealed that he never had any fixed training regimen particularly designed for him, nor had he any specially formulated diet – he would eat anything hygienic but never miss two glasses of milk every day. For his training, he would often start his day with a 9-mile (14 km) jog which he would complete in 60–120 minutes at a moderate pace, followed by short bursts of timed sprints. Later he would weight train in the gym finally cooling down in the pools. He would follow this routine 5 days a week. On the 6th day he would match practice and rest on the 7th day.[verification needed] He also said that he has experienced running on every surface – from custom-built tracks to asphalt roads, grass & farm fields to sea shores & knee-deep waters.

Sometimes he would also visit the northern areas of Pakistan to train in high altitude fields under low oxygen conditions.[verification needed] All in all it made Jahangir one of the most physically and mentally fit athletes in the world. Jahangir retired as a player in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi.[verification needed] The Government of Pakistan honoured Jahangir with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Distinction) for his achievements in squash.

They also awarded him the title of Sportsman of the Millennium In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association, and in 1997, Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation.[verification needed] He was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation in November 1998, and in October 2002 was elected WSF President.[verification needed] In 2004, he was again unanimously re-elected as President of the World Squash Federation at the International Federation’s 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius.[verification needed] Time Magazine has named Jahangir as one of Asia’s Heroes in the last 60 years.[8] Jahangir Khan was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport.

Due to his immense and absolute dominance in squash he was nicknamed “The Conqueror” (a loose translation of his first name) Jahangir and his family originate from a village near Peshawar named Nawakille (sometimes spelled “Noakili”).[9] He currently lives in Karachi with his wife, Rubina, and their children Omar and Marium. He is the cousin of Rehmat Khan who married to Salma Agha and musician Natasha Khan, better known as Bat for Lashes, and actress Sashaa Aghaare Jahangir’s nieces. He is the son of Roshan Khan and brother of Torsam Khan. Legend of Pakistan - Jahangir Khan | My Land Pakistan Legend of Pakistan - Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan, (born December 10, 1963, in Karachi, Pakistan) (sometimes spelled "Jehangir Khan") is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times.

Between 1981 and 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play for five years. During that time he won 555 matches consecutively. This was not only the longest winning streak in squash history, but also one of the longest unbeaten runs by any athlete in top-level professional sports. He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation since 2002. Playing career Jahangir was coached initially by his father, Roshan Khan, the 1957 British Open champion, and then by his cousin Rehmat Khan, who guided Jahangir through most of his career. Ironically, during his earlier years, Jahangir was a sickly child and physically very weak. Though the doctors had advised him not to take part in any sort physical activity, after undergoing a couple of hernia operations his father let him play and try out their family game. In 1979, the Pakistan selectors decided not to select Jahangir to play in the world championships in Australia, judging him too weak from a recent illness.

Jahangir decided instead to enter himself in the World Amateur Individual Championship and, at the age of 15, became the youngest-ever winner of that event. In November 1979, Jahangir's older brother Torsam Khan, who had been one of the leading international squash players in the 1970s, died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam's death affected Jahangir profoundly. He considered quitting the game, but decided to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother. Five-year unbeaten run In 1981, when he was 17, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia's Geoff Hunt (the game's dominant player in the late-1970s) in the final. That tournament marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and over 500 matches. The hallmark of his play was his incredible fitness and stamina, which Rehmat Khan helped him build-up through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was quite simply the fittest player in the game, and would wear his opponents down through long rallies played at a furious pace.

In 1982, Jahangir astonished everyone by winning the International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point. The unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the World Open in 1986 in Toulouse, France, when Jahangir lost to New Zealand's Ross Norman. Norman had been in pursuit of Jahangir's unbeaten streak, being beaten time and time again. "One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him," he vowed for five years. Speaking about his unbeaten streak, Jahangir said: "It wasn't my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986." "The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months.

I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat." Success in the hardball game With his dominance over the international squash game in the first half of the 1980s secure, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball squash circuit in 1983-1986. (Hardball squash is a North American variant of the game, played on smaller courts with a faster-moving ball.) Jahangir played in 13 top-level hardball tournaments during this period, winning 12 of them. He faced the leading American player on the circuit at the time, Mark Talbott, on 11 occasions (all in tournament finals), and won 10 of their encounters. With his domination of both the softball and hardball versions of the game, Jahangir truly cemented his reputation as the world's greatest squash player. His success in North America is considered by some observers to be among the factors which led to growing interest in the international "softball" version of squash in the continent, and the demise of the hardball game in the late-1980s and 1990s.

Rivalry with Jansher Khan At the end of 1986 another Pakistani squash player, Jansher Khan, appeared on the international scene to challenge Jahangir's domination. (Jansher is not known to be directly related to Jahangir, but their families originate from the same village in the Peshawar region of northern Pakistan, so they may be distantly related.) Jahangir won their first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987. But Jansher scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters and capture the 1987 World Open title. Jahangir ended Jansher's winning streak in March 1988, and went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final, with Jahangir emerging the victor. But by that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players.

The pair would continue to dominate the game for the rest of the decade. Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in tournament play. Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points). This record doesn't include exhibition matches and league matches between them. Jahangir did not win the World Open again after 1988, but he continued a stranglehold over the British Open title which he captured a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991. World Open final appearances 1000+ images about Sports Of Pakistan on Pinterest | Polos, Hockey and British open Forward Although hockey is the national sport of Pakistan and cricket is by far the most popular one; the sport in which Pakistan has achieved most success is squash. Pakistan dominated squash like no other country in the world, the domination lasting for the best part of 5 decades. It reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s during the reigns of Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.

Between 1950 and 1997, Pakistan amassed over 30 British Open titles, 14 World Open titles and a lot more PSA professional… See More Jahangir Khan : definition of Jahangir Khan and synonyms of Jahangir Khan (English) W (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988) Last updated on: September 19, 2010. Jahangir Khan, HI , (born 10 December 1963, in Karachi , Pakistan [1] ) (sometimes spelled "Jehangir Khan") is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. [2] [3] [4] Jahangir Khan is an ethnic Pashtun , originally from Neway Kelay, Peshawar . [5] During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times. From 1981 to 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play.

During that time he won 555 games consecutively, the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sports as recorded by Guinness World Records . [6] He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation since 2002. Contents 7 External links Playing career Jahangir was coached initially by his father, Roshan , the 1957 British Open champion, then by his late brother Torsam . After his brother's sudden death he was coached by his cousin Rehmat Khan , who guided Jahangir through most of his career. Jahangir was a sickly child and physically very weak. Though the doctors had advised him not to take part in any sort of physical activity, after undergoing a couple of hernia operations his father let him play and try out their family game. In 1979, the Pakistan selectors decided not to select Jahangir to play in the world championships in Australia , judging him too weak from a recent illness. Jahangir decided instead to enter the World Amateur Individual Championship and, at the age of 15, became the youngest-ever winner of that event.

In November 1979, Jahangir's older brother Torsam, who had been one of the leading international squash players in the 1970s, died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam's death profoundly affected Jahangir. He considered quitting the game, but decided to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother. Five-year unbeaten run In 1981, when he was 17, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia's Geoff Hunt (the game's dominant player in the late-1970s) in the final. That tournament marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and 555 matches. The hallmark of his play was his incredible fitness and stamina, which Rehmat Khan helped him build-up through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was quite simply the fittest player in the game, and would wear his opponents down through long rallies played at a furious pace. In 1982, Jahangir astonished everyone by winning the International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point.

The unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the World Open in 1986 in Toulouse , France, when Jahangir lost to New Zealand's Ross Norman . Norman had been in pursuit of Jahangir's unbeaten streak, being beaten time and time again. "One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him", he vowed for five years. Speaking about his unbeaten streak, Jahangir said: "It wasn't my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986." "The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months.

I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat." Success in the hardball game With his dominance over the international squash game in the first half of the 1980s secure, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball squash circuit in 1983–1986. (Hardball squash is a North American variant of the game, played on smaller courts with a faster-moving ball.) Jahangir played in 13 top-level hardball tournaments during this period, winning 12 of them. He faced the leading American player on the circuit at the time, Mark Talbott , on 11 occasions (all in tournament finals), and won 10 of their encounters. With his domination of both the softball and hardball versions of the game, Jahangir truly cemented his reputation as the world's greatest squash player. His success in North America is considered by some observers to be among the factors which led to growing interest in the international "softball" version of squash in the continent, and the demise of the hardball game in the late-1980s and 1990s.

Rivalry with Jansher Khan At the end of 1986 another Pakistani squash player, Jansher Khan , appeared on the international scene to challenge Jahangir's domination. (Jansher is not known to be directly related to Jahangir, but their families originate from the same village in the Peshawar region of northern Pakistan, so they may be distantly related.) Jahangir won their first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987. But Jansher scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters and capture the 1987 World Open title. Jahangir ended Jansher's winning streak in March 1988, and went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final, with Jahangir emerging the victor. But by that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players.

The pair would continue to dominate the game for the rest of the decade. Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in tournament play. Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points). This record doesn't include exhibition matches and league matches between them. Jahangir did not win the World Open again after 1988, but he continued a stranglehold over the British Open title which he captured a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991. World Open final appearances 2–9, 7–9, 9–5, 7–9 Training regime In a documentary on himself telecast on GEO Super , Jahangir revealed that he never had any fixed training regime particularly designed for him, nor had he any specially formulated diet - he would eat anything hygienic but never miss two glasses of milk every day.

For his training, he would often start his day with a 9-mile (14 km) jog which he would complete in 60–120 minutes at a moderate pace, followed by short bursts of timed sprints. Later he would weight train in the gym finally cooling down in the pools. He would follow this routine 5 days a week. On the 6th day he would match practice and rest on the 7th day. He also said that he has experienced running on every surface - from custom-built tracks to asphalt roads, grass & farm fields to sea shores & knee-deep waters. Sometimes he would also visit the northern areas of Pakistan to train in high altitude fields under low oxygen conditions. All in all it made Jahangir one of the most physically and mentally fit athletes in the world. Awards, services and recognition Jahangir retired as a player in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. The Government of Pakistan honoured Jahangir with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Distinction) for his achievements in squash. They also awarded him the title of Sportsman of the Millennium.

“ Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan, and Jansher Khan are the best squash players the world has ever known, with Jahangir the best of the three. If Hollywood only knew his story of tragedy, grit and determination it would make another movie like Chariots of Fire . Many of those who know him consider him the best athlete who ever lived. ” — Former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf on Jahangir's achievements. [7] In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association, and in 1997, Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation. He was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation in November 1998, and in October 2002 was elected WSF President. In 2004, he was again unanimously re-elected as President of the World Squash Federation at the International Federation's 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius . Time Magazine has named Jahangir as one of Asia's Heroes in the last 60 years.

[8] Jahangir Khan was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport. Due to his immense and absolute dominance in squash he was nicknamed "The Conqueror" (a loose translation of his first name).[ citation needed ] Personal life Jahangir is of Pashtun ethnicity. His family originated from a village near Peshawar named Nawakille (sometimes spelled "Noakili"). [9] Jahangir currently lives in Karachi with his wife, Rubina, and their children, Omar and Marium. Musician Natasha Khan, better known as Bat for Lashes , is Jahangir's cousin. [10] See also

Question: Which squash player was unbeaten for over 150 consecutive matches between 1981 and 1986?
Answer: Jahangir Khan