DUBAI: Ahmed Durrani, the Dubai-based Pakistani swimmer, is determined to follow in the footsteps of javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem by winning an Olympic medal for Pakistan. Despite a disappointing first-round exit at the Paris Olympics 2024, Durrani said he is focused on bouncing back.

At 18, he represented his country at the Olympics, but faced a first-round exit after a disappointing heat saw him 11.11 seconds behind the fastest in that round. Durrani clocked in 1:58.67.

He received a fair amount of criticism for his performance, but not many pointed out that he was also the youngest athlete to represent Pakistan this year. In less than two weeks, Durrani’s performance was to be forgotten about as javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem ended Pakistan’s 40-year wait for an Olympic medal as celebrations erupted in a nation that has recently been deprived of sporting achievements.

Javelin ace Arshad Nadeem receives gold medal at Paris Olympics

In an interview with Business Recorder, Durrani said he is motivated to make a comeback, drawing inspiration from Arshad Nadeem’s feat.

“The next thing is to bring the medal back for Pakistan,” Durrani told Business Recorder.

“After seeing Arshad (Nadeem)‘s amazing performance at the Paris Olympics, I feel so motivated to make Pakistan proud. I want to show everyone that it wasn’t a one-time show. I’ll just take one competition at a time and continue to develop. And I just don’t want to bring medals back for Pakistan, I want to inspire the next generation.”

Reflecting on the criticism, Durrani said he wasn’t going to be bogged down.

“I feed on hate,” he said, smiling, when asked what he thought of people’s response.

“So the criticism will only make me stronger. I want to come back stronger than ever, (and) prove everyone wrong”.

Born in Karachi, Ahmed moved to Dubai when he was two years old, where he took on swimming as his sport of choice. Recognising his talent, his parents, Aasif and Ambreen Durrani, encouraged him to hone his skills; yet even in their wildest dreams they couldn’t have foreseen that they were raising an Olympian.

The teenager’s journey is studded with awards, medals, and several records, but it required immense commitment in the face of rejection at the very beginning.

“My first nationals was when I was 12, that’s when I went to Peshawar, representing Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,” recalled Ahmed.

Interestingly, it was not Ahmed’s first choice; he wanted to represent Karachi for which he was eligible by birth but was rejected because he was considered slow. Yet, the competition turned into one of the best memories for the swimmer, where he broke three national records, wearing an out-of-size swimming suit, with “goggles leaking halfway through the race and people cheering me on every stroke”.

Two years down, Ahmed broke the national record in a 100-metre back-stroke. Later, he participated in the under-16 event where he remained undefeated for two years winning 10 gold medals and breaking several national records. The successful spree continued in the Fina World Junior Swimming Championship held in Peru, South America, where he set seven records.

“I think Pakistan saw me as a potential Olympian there. They sent me to the Asian Games where I was the only athlete to break the records, so I feel that’s when people took me seriously. And from there I went to Malaysia and Singapore and then it was Paris (Olympics). It was a long journey, but its only beginning,” said Ahmed.

Living in Dubai, Ahmed has been fortunate with the opportunities he’s found both at school and outside of it. Growing up, he was coached to pursue his passion and take it up professionally. An A-levels student at a school in Dubai, Ahmed gives full credit to his institution, parents and coaches for both nurturing and encouraging him.

“The environment does make a difference how you perform, and Dubai has given me so many opportunities,” said Ahmed, alluding to the swimming pool facilities, excellent training and infrastructure available in the emirate.

“My coaches and my school are training me. I wouldn’t be in this position had it not been for my school, they really supported me the whole time, so a supporting environment does matter a lot, and help you dictate to keep this balance”.

Commenting on swimming infrastructure in Pakistan, the Olympian believes that there’s a lot of potential. However, he said Pakistan doesn’t have that many pools and facilities as compared to Dubai. Similarly, there aren’t enough coaches who can properly educate and foster the youth.

“There’s not enough awareness about the sport, like you’d have for cricket, for example. Normally people don’t know about swimming, which is a shame because I think there would be many people who’d be amazing at swimming, but they just don’t know enough about the sport,” he added.

Looking back at his trip to Paris, which he said was “forever burnt in my memory”, the young athlete felt it was a great learning experience for him. Surrounded by great athletes there, many of them his idols, he appreciated the sense of resilience that everyone brought with them to the event, motivating others to give their best for their country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024