Olympian Mahoor Shahzad has once again achieved the National Championship title, marking her eighth consecutive win.
While speaking to Geo News in Lahore, Mahoor revealed that doctors have advised her to rest and avoid training for four months, as she has recently been blessed with a baby girl.
However, the champion didn’t follow the recommendations and was determined to not let go of the title.
In the interview, she emphasised on the importance of the title: “The National Championship only happens once a year, and I was determined to compete to ensure that the title stayed with me. Even though the odds were against me, I made the decision to participate, whether I won or lost. Thankfully, I succeeded in defending my title for the eighth time, and I’m extremely happy with the outcome."
Continuing with the conversation, the 27-year-old opened up about her struggles she is facing in balancing motherhood and training together.
"It’s hard when you have a young child to take care of. Even if I got just half an hour, I would train. During the matches, I couldn’t keep her with me, so my mother looked after her. There were moments when I could hear her crying, and it tugged at my heart to leave the game and go to her."
Being considerate about the country’s future, Mahoor highlighted that the country should compete in more international tournaments.
The Olympian stated: "We need more international exposure, and it’s important to host such events in Pakistan to give our players greater opportunities."
Meanwhile, Mahoor added a period to her conversation after expressing determination to work on her world ranking.
"Due to my pregnancy, I couldn’t participate in international events for a while. Now, I plan to compete in as many events as possible to climb the rankings,” she said.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.
