Hajra Khan: Guinness World Record Holder

 

 

"Hajra Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan on 29^th December 1993. She is a Pakistani footballer who is the captain of the Pakistan women's national football team. She plays as a striker or midfielder. She became part of Pakistan national team in 2009 which she led as a captain from 2014."

Early life

"Khan's ambition was to be a professional athlete, but not really a footballer, since he was a kid. Whilst she was scouting for a regional team, she was spotted by Diya W.F.C. coach Sadia Sheikh. Khan made her debut at the age of 14 and scored nine goals in three games for Diya W.F.C., earning her the competition's Top Scorer award."

Road to success

"Hajra khan started her professional career with Diya W.F.C, where she won the Misha Dawood Trophy amid the 2010 National Ladies Football Championship. In January 2014, she decided to part ways with the Diya W.F.C to join the club i.e. Balochistan United. Hajra won the Pakistan women's football championship with Baluchistan in 2014, scoring the crucial 1 goal against her former club Diya in the finals. She at that point accepted an offer to play for Maldivian club Sun Hotels and Resorts FC within the FAM Women's Football Championship. In the summer" of 2015, Hajra khan went through a month in Germany and gone to pre-season trials with four clubs. She was unable to accept an exchange offer from MSV Duisburg because of her visa issues. She made history by being the only Pakistani football player to score 100 club career goals. She joined Sun Inns and Resorts Maldives club on 24^th May 2015. Hajra as of now plays for the Pakistan Armed forces."

Making it Global

"In 2009, Hajra was selected within the Pakistan national team group for the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After Khan's involvement at this occasion, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) picked her up for the FIFA women's football coaching course in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In December 2010, she played within the inaugural SAFF Women's Championship, she played wonderfully and it was because of her match winning performance and well coordination with the squad, helped Pakistan reach the semi-finals. She is the first Pakistani woman footballer to sign a universal contract in 2014 with Sun Inns & Resorts Football Club to play within the Maldives National Women's alliance."

Records and achievements

"As of now Hajra Khan has 3 genius world records to her name , her first one was made back in 2018 when she set a world record for playing a football match at the lowest altitude in the history of football at the Dead Sea , Jordan."

"Her second record was when she participated in the Equal Playing Field initiative in Lyon, France when she played football for 3.30 hours straight from 3am to 6.30am and bagged 4 goals to contribute to the World Record Match organized by the EPF initiative."

"Her 3^rd record was made again with the EPF in June 2018 to July 1 in a record breaking match that went on for 69 hours straight with 807 players from all over the world, playing 5 aside match in Lyon France. Hajra made Pakistan proud in that event too by scoring 2 goals and played 3 hours on the field."

"All of this done not for some shiny medals or achievements but to highlight equal opportunities for woman." 

EPF

"Equal Playing Field, or EPF for short, is a non-profit organization. Equal Playing Field (EPF) is a grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to combating gender inequality in sport and promoting sports development for girls and women around the world, particularly in underdeveloped countries. It is a catalyst organization whose mission is to ensure opportunity, equality, and respect for girls and women in sport and in life. It accomplishes this through a combination of high-profile challenges, grassroots training and empowerment programs implemented through local and international partnerships, and a global communications and advocacy platform. EPF has representation in 32 countries on six continents through its players, coaches, referees, mentors, and partners, all dedicated to elevating the dialogue about women in sport and affecting meaningful change at the elite and grassroots levels."