With her 6 feet long hair, Pakistani squash player Zahab Kamal Khan has set a new world record of donating the most hair to a charity that helps children and young adults with medically-related hair loss.
The 30-year-old, who moved to the United States in 2018 and lives in Northern Virginia, has grown her hair for the past 17 years since her last cut was when she was 13. With long hair that was 6 feet and 3 inches long, Khan decided to go for the big chop at a local salon and donated 5 feet and 1 inch of hair to the charity.
World-ranked squash player has now been named the “Longest Haired Athlete”. As part of her NGO, she helps Pakistani student-athletes who, due to poverty and a lack of resources at home, are unable to play their sports and continue their studies.
“Growing up in Pakistan, there were not many opportunities for girls to participate in sports. I have been fortunate to have had parents who pushed me to succeed,” international media quoted Khan as saying. “I am proud to support children in their academic and athletic endeavors.”
In an Instagram post celebrating her accomplishment, the Pakistani player revealed it was her father’s dream, adding that their dream has finally come true after 18 years.
“Today I am very happy to be working with children with hair loss and grateful to know that my hair is going to help kids,” wrote Khan. “I would also like to thank all of my sponsors and donors for your support!”
‘My dad’s idea changed my life’
The number of hair clips Khan wore on her head (1100) also set a record. Guinness has also recognized the record for the most clips.
In April this year, Guinness World Record holder Nilanshi Patel from India’s Gujrat, who had the longest hair in the world, officially cut it off after 12 years of growing it. She had held the title since 2018 when she was 16 years old. Interestingly, her hair measured 170.5 cm (5 ft. 7 in).
Nilanshi decided to stop cutting her hair when she was six following a bad experience at the hairdressers. She spent 12 years without a haircut and previously described her long hair as her ‘lucky charm’. The teenager grew her hair for over a decade and earned the world record title. Now she finally made the decision to cut off her locks and donated her hair.
A few years back, a Pakistani girl broke the taboo of donating hair by cutting off her 23 inches of hair to donate to cancer patients of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital.
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