Taekwondo: Faheem confident of securing Rio berth
South Waziristan’s Mohammad Faheem is upbeat about Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the Rio Olympics despite his absence from the recently concluded South Asian Games.
The 22-year-old, who will be leaving for Philippines along with three other athletes to compete at the Asian Rio Olympics qualification round on Wednesday, believes he can overcome any deficit as long as he has self-belief.
“We know the competition will be tough, but it is about how we take the pressure,” Faheem told The Express Tribune.
Faheem then said that his hiatus from taekwondo will not affect his performances in any way. “I had stopped entering competitions for a few years, but I’ve been training as a taekwondo athlete since my childhood,” he said.
He further added that he has been in training for two and a half months to assure top performance in the Asian Qualification round for Rio Olympics.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation President Waseem Ahmed remains optimistic but has warned Pakistani athletes to expect tough competition from Iran, China, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and most of the 41 countries in the region who are training hard for the event.
“We are positive about our chances for Olympics,” said Ahmed. “Faheem is a new talent, and we also have Atif who is experienced and both the girls are also working hard. Hopefully, we’ll have our first entry in the Olympics this time.”
(Source: Express Tribune)
