Jansher Khan

Jansher Khan

PP, SI, HI, NI

Personal information
Native name	جان شیر خان
Born	(1969-06-15) 15 June 1969 (age 56) Peshawar, Pakistan
Occupation(s)	National Head Squash Coach, Pakistan Squash Federation (2010–2011) Advisor to the President, Pakistan Squash Federation (2010–2012, 2015–2018) [1] Head Squash Coach, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2020–2023) [2]
Years active	1986–2002
Employer	Pakistan Air Force [3]
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Spouse	Violet Sough (m. 1986; div. 1989) Naseem (m. 1989)
Children	3, including Kamran Khan, Ayaz SherKhan, and Ali SherKhan
Sport
Country	Pakistan
Sport	Squash
World Open	1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
Turned pro	1986
Retired	2001
Achievements and titles
World finals	8
Highest world ranking	No. 1 (January 1988 – January 1998)
Updated on 8 January 2024

Jansher Khan (Pashto: جان شیر خان; born 15 June 1969) ^{[4] [5] [6]} is a former Pakistani professional squash player. During his career, he won the World Open eight times and the British Open six times. ^[7] He was the world's number-one-ranked player from January 1988 to January 1998. His was unbeaten for 81 matches from 1990 to 1996; one of the longest unbeaten runs in professional squash history. ^[8]

Career

Khan's professional career began in 1986, when he won the World Junior Squash Championships in Australia at the age of 16. ^[9] He challenged the dominance of fellow Pakistani Jahangir Khan, who had been undefeated for the previous five years. His first major senior title was the Hong Kong Open in 1987. That same year, he won his first World Open Title, defeating Australia's Chris Dittmar in the finals. Early in his career, Khan was affiliated with the Pakistan Air Force. ^[10]

Jansher Khan's main rival was Jahangir Khan. Between 1986 and 1991, they collectively won 14 World Open and 16 British Open titles. Of the 36 tournament matches between them, Jansher won 19 and Jahangir won 17. ^{[11] [12]}

Head-to-head results vs. Jahangir Khan

Year	Total Matches	Won by Jansher Khan	Won by Jahangir Khan
1986	1	0	1
1987	11	7	4
1988	8	3	5
1989	9	2	7
1990	5	5	0
1991	2	2	0
Total	36	19	17

Khan retired from professional squash in 2001, citing burnout and injuries. ^[13]

Post-retirement

Health

In late 2011, Khan was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. ^[14] In 2020, after suffering from severe back pain, he underwent two successful back surgeries at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan. ^[8]

Following his surgery, Khan advised younger players on managing injuries.

"I would advise today's young players that along with their hard training they must take special care of their back, knee and groin injuries and treat minor ailments timely to avoid serious problems in future." ^[8]

Coaching

In September 2020, at the request of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan, Jansher Khan joined the Directorate General of Sports of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as head coach. ^[15] Upon his appointment, he stated, "I will do my best to fill the gap created in the game of squash and make the country a new world champion." ^[2]

Awards and recognition

• Pride of Performance awarded by the President of Pakistan in 1988 ^[16]
• Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) awarded by the President of Pakistan in 1993 ^[16]
• Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) awarded by the President of Pakistan in 1997 ^[16]
• Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence) awarded by the President of Pakistan in 2023 ^[17]

Major finals

World Open

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	1987	Birmingham, England	Chris Dittmar	9–5, 9–4, 4–9, 9–6
Runner-up	1988	Amsterdam, Netherlands	Jahangir Khan	9–6, 9–2, 9–2
Winner	1989	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Chris Dittmar	7–15, 6–15, 15–4, 15–11, 15–10
	1990	Toulouse, France		15–8, 17–15, 13–15, 15–5
	1992	Johannesburg, South Africa		15–11, 15–9, 10–15, 15–6
	1993	Karachi, Pakistan	Jahangir Khan	14–15, 15–9, 15–5, 15–5
	1994	Barcelona, Spain	Peter Marshall	10–15, 15–11, 15–8, 15–4
	1995	Nicosia, Cyprus	Del Harris	15–10, 17–14, 16–17, 15–8
	1996	Karachi, Pakistan	Rodney Eyles	15–13, 17–15, 11–15, 15–3

British Open

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	1987	London, England	Jahangir Khan	9–6, 9–0, 9–5
	1991			2–9, 9–4, 9–4, 9–0
Winner	1992		Chris Robertson	9–7, 10–9, 9–5
	1993		Chris Dittmar	9–6, 9–5, 6–9, 9–2
	1994		Brett Martin	9–1, 9–0, 9–10, 9–1
	1995	Cardiff, Wales	Peter Marshall	15–4, 15–4, 15–5
	1996		Rodney Eyles	15–13, 15–8, 15–10
	1997		Peter Nicol	17–15, 9–15, 15–12, 8–15, 15–8
Runner-up	1998	Birmingham, England		17–16, 15–4, 15–5

Hong Kong Open

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	1987	Hong Kong	Chris Dittmar	9–6, 9–2, 9–5
	1988			15–11, 9–15, 15–6, 12–15, 15–1
	1989			15–8, 16–17, 15–2, 15–6
	1990		Chris Robertson	15–6, 14–15, 15–10, 15–5
	1991		Tristan Nancarrow	16–17, 15–6, 15–17, 15–4, 15–5
	1994		Peter Nicol	15–7, 15–10, 15–6
	1995		Brett Martin	15–12, 15–7, 15–3
Runner-up	1996		Rodney Eyles	15–10, 15–10, 15–5
Winner	1997		Jonathon Power	14–15, 15–12, 15–7, 15–2

Pakistan Open

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	1987	Karachi, Pakistan	Jahangir Khan	1–9, 9–1, 10–8, 9–5, 9–0
Runner-up	1988			16–17, 10–15, 15–9, 15–9, 15–7
	1989			15–11, 15–12, 15–10
Winner	1990			9–2, 4–9, 9–2, 9–2
Runner-up	1991			9–15, 15–10, 15–10, 15–5
Winner	1992			15–13, 15–5, 15–12
	1994		Peter Marshall	14–15, 15–14, 15–10, 9–15, 15–6
	1995		Rodney Eyles	15–9, 15–12, 15–8
	1997		Anthony Hill	15–11, 15–7, 15–8

World Super Series Finals

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	1993	Zürich, Switzerland	Chris Dittmar	15–10, 10–15, 15–13, 15–8
	1994		Peter Marshall	8–15, 15–8, 15–7, 15–9
	1997	Hatfield, England	Brett Martin	9–7, 9–5, 9–2
	1998		Simon Parke	15–12, 13–15, 15–11, 15–10

Sporting positions
Preceded by Jahangir Khan	World No. 1 January 1988 – January 1998	Succeeded by Peter Nicol

References

1. "Squash legend Jansher Khan appointed head coach to PSF". DAWN.COM. 21 December 2010.
2. "Jansher Khan Appointed Head Coach of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate". World Squash. 17 September 2020.
3. https://www.worldsquash.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/210118__Jansher-Khan-Hall-of-Fame.pdf.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
4. Andrew Shelley. "Profile of Jansher Khan". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
5. "Profile of Jansher Khan". The South Asian. November 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
6. Raju Chainani (20 August 2004). "Jansher Khan: "The Last Emperor... a retrospective of a championship career"". Squash Talk. Archived from the original on 20 February 2006. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
7. Ian Sansom (30 July 2010). "Great dynasties of the world: The Khans". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
8. Agencies (1 August 2020). "Jansher undergoes double back surgery successfully". Dawn. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
9. "Jansher Khan | 8-Time World Open Squash Champion | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
10. "Jansher Khan – Pakistan Squash Federation". 3 February 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
11. Williams, Martin (24 August 2019). "Jansher Khan V Jahangir Khan – Rivalry, Matches, Legacy". sportscentaur.com. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
12. Squash (17 April 2019). "Jahangir vs. Jansher: Who Was The Best?". Winning Squash. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
13. "2001 – a disastrous year for Pakistan squash". Dawn (newspaper). 31 December 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
14. "Squash great Jansher Khan diagnosed with Parkinson's disease". The Times of India. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
15. "Jansher Khan – Pakistan Squash Federation". 3 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
16. "Jansher Khan". Pakistan Olympic Association.
17. Post, The Frontier (23 March 2023). "Jansher Khan awarded with Nishan-e-Imtiaz" . Retrieved 15 June 2025.

External links

Jansher Khan at Squash Info