Rehmat Khan
Encyclopedia
Rehmatullah "Rehmat" Khan (sometimes spelled Rahmat Khan or Rhamat Khan) is one of greatest living squash
coaches and a former squash player from Pakistan
. He coached his cousin Jahangir Khan
, who is arguably the greatest squash player of all time, throughout his record-breaking career. The partnership led to Jahangir winning 10 British Open titles and a spectacular winning streak of 555 consecutive matches.
Rahmat was among the leading squash players on the international circuit in the late-1970s, reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 12. He was a close friend of Torsam Khan
, Jahangir's older brother, who was among the top professional players. In 1979, Rahmat and Torsam, who both saw the potential in young Jahangir, made plans to buy a 50% share in a Sussex
squash club and bring Jahangir to England
to train. However, just when the deeds were to be signed, Torsam suffered a heart attack
during a tournament match in Australia
and died suddenly.
At that point, Rahmat made a decision to sacrifice his own playing career to take on the challenge of coaching the enormously promising youngster Jahangir. He commented at the time: "I was No. 12, but because of constant injuries I didn't think I would climb any higher." Jahangir had considered quitting the game in the wake of his older brother's death, but Rehmat helped to convince him that Torsam would have wanted him to continue. Rahmat convinced Jahangir's family to let him come to England to train.
In 1981, the 17 year-old Jahangir became the youngest player to win squash's World Open. This tournament victory marked the start of an unbeaten run by Jahangir which lasted for five years and over 500 matches. Jahangir won a total of six World Open titles and 10 British Open
titles during his career.
Rahmat has coached several promising players like
Other notable students of Rahmat include Dale Styner (Canada No. 1), Sabir Butt (Canada No.1), Peter Hill (Singapore No. 1), Sami Alupuro (Finland No. 1), Paul Carter (English National Coach), Max Weithers, Len Steward, Abdullah Al-Mazayyan, Safir Ullah Khan, Khayal Mohammad Khan, Majid Khan, Farhan Mehboob, Yasir Butt, Khalid Atlas Khan, Farukh Zaman and Maria Toor.
Rahmat has also been the national coach of Pakistan and Kuwait as well as the state of Maharashtra(India).
Rahmat has also co-authored several books like Winning Squash, Jahangir and the Khan Dynasty and Advanced Squash. He also created a video called How to Play Squash the Khan Way that was released by Virgin Records.
The government of Pakistan awarded him the Medal of Excellence or the Tamgha-I-Imtiaz in 2005.
Rahmat is relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area to coach several upcoming junior players.
Stuart Sharp captured the partnership on film painstakingly as it happened and has produced a documentary film called The Conqueror.
Rahmat's father Nasrullah Khan was formerly the coach of another dominant squash champion, Jonah Barrington.
Rahmat's daughter is the musician Natasha Khan (better known by the pseudonym "Bat For Lashes
").
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
coaches and a former squash player from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He coached his cousin Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan, HI, 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...
, who is arguably the greatest squash player of all time, throughout his record-breaking career. The partnership led to Jahangir winning 10 British Open titles and a spectacular winning streak of 555 consecutive matches.
Rahmat was among the leading squash players on the international circuit in the late-1970s, reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 12. He was a close friend of Torsam Khan
Torsam Khan
Torsam Khan was a squash player from Pakistan. He was the son of the 1957 British Open champion Roshan Khan, and the older brother of Jahangir Khan, who went on to become arguably the greatest squash player of all-time. Torsam was groomed as a squash player by his father. In 1979, Torsam reached a...
, Jahangir's older brother, who was among the top professional players. In 1979, Rahmat and Torsam, who both saw the potential in young Jahangir, made plans to buy a 50% share in a Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
squash club and bring Jahangir to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to train. However, just when the deeds were to be signed, Torsam suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
during a tournament match in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and died suddenly.
At that point, Rahmat made a decision to sacrifice his own playing career to take on the challenge of coaching the enormously promising youngster Jahangir. He commented at the time: "I was No. 12, but because of constant injuries I didn't think I would climb any higher." Jahangir had considered quitting the game in the wake of his older brother's death, but Rehmat helped to convince him that Torsam would have wanted him to continue. Rahmat convinced Jahangir's family to let him come to England to train.
In 1981, the 17 year-old Jahangir became the youngest player to win squash's World Open. This tournament victory marked the start of an unbeaten run by Jahangir which lasted for five years and over 500 matches. Jahangir won a total of six World Open titles and 10 British Open
British Open Squash Championships
The British Open Squash Championships is the oldest and most established tournament in the game of squash. It is widely considered to be one of the two most prestigious tournaments in the game, alongside the World Open The British...
titles during his career.
Rahmat has coached several promising players like
- Siddharth SuchdeSiddharth SuchdeSiddharth Suchde is a professional squash player from India. He grew up in India, Scotland and Switzerland. He studied in Cathedral School in Bombay and completed his high school education from Merchiston School in Edinburgh, Scotland. Later, he attended Harvard University from 2003-2007 as an...
who played at no. 1 for Harvard and became a national champion - Basit AshfaqBasit AshfaqBasit Ashfaq, is a professional squash player who represented Pakistan. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 61 in April 2006....
who played at the top spot for Trinity and became part of the record winning streak in collegiate sports - Aamir Atlas KhanAamir Atlas KhanAamir Atlas Khan is a Pakistani professional squash player. He is the nephew of former world champion, Jansher Khan.-Career:2007 has been his most successful year and has seen his rankings rise...
who is the currently the top Pakistani pro player - Jonathan Power as a young kid
Other notable students of Rahmat include Dale Styner (Canada No. 1), Sabir Butt (Canada No.1), Peter Hill (Singapore No. 1), Sami Alupuro (Finland No. 1), Paul Carter (English National Coach), Max Weithers, Len Steward, Abdullah Al-Mazayyan, Safir Ullah Khan, Khayal Mohammad Khan, Majid Khan, Farhan Mehboob, Yasir Butt, Khalid Atlas Khan, Farukh Zaman and Maria Toor.
Rahmat has also been the national coach of Pakistan and Kuwait as well as the state of Maharashtra(India).
Rahmat has also co-authored several books like Winning Squash, Jahangir and the Khan Dynasty and Advanced Squash. He also created a video called How to Play Squash the Khan Way that was released by Virgin Records.
The government of Pakistan awarded him the Medal of Excellence or the Tamgha-I-Imtiaz in 2005.
Rahmat is relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area to coach several upcoming junior players.
Stuart Sharp captured the partnership on film painstakingly as it happened and has produced a documentary film called The Conqueror.
Rahmat's father Nasrullah Khan was formerly the coach of another dominant squash champion, Jonah Barrington.
Rahmat's daughter is the musician Natasha Khan (better known by the pseudonym "Bat For Lashes
Bat for Lashes
Natasha Khan , also known by her stage name Bat for Lashes, is an English musician. She sings and plays the piano, bass, guitar, harpsichord and the autoharp....
").