Ahmed Durrani aims to break national record at Olympics

LAHORE: Pakistan’s highly gutsy young swimmer Mohammad Ahmed Durrani aims to break national record at the Paris Olympics which will begin in France’s capital on July 26.

“From swimming aspect I think breaking the national record will be one of my main goals. I really want to swim much faster, showcasing that how fast Pakistan competed during the last four years since Tokyo Games,” Ahmed told The News in an interview from Dubai.

“My best time in 200m freestyle is 1:55.68 but I don’t really like to think about the time but I think about how I would execute it. If I execute it perfectly, then the time will come automatically. I am just aiming to manage it faster, hopefully, significantly faster by 1:55 but it will depend on how I execute it,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed is going to feature in the Paris Olympics on the universality place. He will compete in the 200m freestyle at the biggest stage. Jehanara Nabi is the other swimmer who will also represent the nation in Paris Games in the 200m freestyle.

“My target in the Olympics is also to make the country proud and act as an ambassador, inspiring kids showing that cricket is not the only sport that Pakistan should focus on. There are other athletes in Pakistan who are doing exceptionally well in other sports,” the 18-year-old swimmer said.

“I am really happy with everything. There were some ups and downs but I had to work hard and I am really proud to be representing Pakistan at the highest level. I used to dream of it as a kid and now it’s a reality and it’s a huge honour for me,” said Ahmed, who belongs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ahmed’s skills in various events have transformed him into an extremely effective swimmer. “I really love swimming. When someone would beat me I would not get angry but would motivate myself to work harder,” said Ahmed.

His French coach Caroline’s hard work has also shaped Ahmed to progress fast in the field. “My current coach Caroline has really supported me a lot. She took my game to the next level. She is France’s junior national team coach and lives in the UAE. I have been associated with her for the last two to three years. I would not be in the current position without her guidance,” Ahmed said.

Asked what his target was relating to winning medal at the Asian level in future, Ahmed said that he has in mind such a milestone to achieve. “I don’t like planning things too far ahead. Yes as far as future goals are concerned so definitely I want to achieve them, not only for me but there are also potential swimmers in Pakistan. It really depends on how federation is willing to push us,” Ahmed said.

In the past some foreign-based swimmers became Olympians and then they folded their careers, leaving the country quite pre-maturely. But Ahmed has no plans to abandon swimming and wants to serve the country for a long time.

“I don’t have any intention of leaving swimming any time soon. I really want to swim for at least five to six more years. Swimmers usually do well from 24 to 26 and I think that is the best time for me to shine and win medals for the country,” Ahmed said.