"I spent a long time in volleyball and I thank everyone for making my career successful," said the 45-year-old. "Though I won´t be playing volleyball anymore, I will be actively involved in the development of the game," said Shah, who hinted at pursuing a coaching career. [break]
Shah, also the skipper of Nepal Police Club, led the national team for the first time in 1999 at the Eighth South Asian Games (SAG) in Kathmandu and has since captained the national team in 10 different tournaments. Coincidentally, it was the same place -- the covered hall of Dasharath Stadium -- where he took charge as captain and announced his retirement from the game.
Shah made his debut in the 1995 Madras SAG and played his last match as the skipper in full court at the 2010 Dhaka South Asian Games. Though Shah failed to win any medal in full court, he enjoyed success with his club. Shah has won numerous titles with Nepal Police Club, which has ruled the roost in Nepali volleyball for more than a decade.
Shah shared that he gained managerial knowledge as coach and player in Police. Besides this, Shah also holds the license of coach and referee of FIVB, the international volleyball federation. He also served as coach of the Nepali team that participated in the Asian University Beach Games in China in 2011.
"Looking back I feel sad that I could not win a single medal for the country in full court. We were close to winning a medal in the Kathmandu SAG after making it to the semifinals. But we lost the semifinal against Pakistan and the third-place match against Bangladesh," laments Shah.
Shah also shared that he rejected more than a dozen marriage proposals. "Though it is not sure when I will marry, I could do it anytime," he added.
Shah also lamented the decline in domestic volleyball in the decade under his captaincy and the low international participation as the worst memories of his playing career.
Shah, however, was a part of two-member team that won the South Asian Invitational Beach Volleyball title twice in 2005 and 2007. In 2007 he was declared the best player in beach volleyball, which he describes as the best moment of his playing career.
Shah, born in Achham, made his debut in a top level domestic tournament in 2045 BS and played for Bheri for two years. He was recruited by Nepal Police as assistant sub-inspector in 2049 BS and has captained the departmental team since then.
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