My life in sport: Jan Khan

This is a surprise, but Jan Khan wasn't drawn to lawn bowls on the back lawn, so to speak.

The daughter of one of this country's most famous bowlers, Millie Khan, took up bowls relatively late and only after a health crisis.

A Commonwealth Games and world bowls bronze medallist, the 51-year-old Jan finally claimed the prized national singles title at Lower Hutt in the New Year.

Millie Khan won 12 national titles including four singles, and memories of her mother - who died suddenly in 2003 - helped inspired Jan to a mammoth 21-5 win over another Cantabrian, Jan Shirley, in the final.

Jan Khan answers a few questions from the Herald.

Let's start by getting the name right. Jan is pronounced as Jarn ...

It should have been spelt Jahn, but mum and dad spelt it Jan ... I'm named after my great-great-great grandmother, with Dad of course having the Pakistani blood. Maraea is actually my first name. Everyone calls me Chilli. I was playing a test series in the UK when the New Zealand men started calling me Chilli ... I'm always chasing my bowls, talking to them, saying "Come on big boy, get in there". They went hot stuff Chilli, as in "chilli con Kahn".

How long have you been dreaming of the national singles title and what was the key to winning the final?

It's not dreaming so much - you want to play decent bowls and make the quarter-finals of any tournament you play. I arrived early at the greens to watch how the wind was affecting the bowls. Normally I play up and down the same side, but I decided to play around the clock as we call it - I just played the backhand from both ends. I found a nice rhythm doing that.

What inspired you to take up bowls?

My partner at that time and I were one of eight couples who decided to move to Australia together. I was 29 and had just arrived on the Gold Coast when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a full mastectomy there and couldn't have a blood transfusion - the HIV virus was rife and they couldn't test the blood with 100 per cent accuracy. It was a frightening time especially as I'd had a full medical clearance before leaving New Zealand. I've got five sisters and no one else in the family had had breast cancer. I came straight home after the operation. I just wanted to be with mum and the family.

The doctor told me to take it easy for a year - I'd always played netball and indoor basketball, fast-paced games. Mum said to me: "You've had those bowls in the wardrobe for six years - why not give bowls a go?" So I did, just to keep my hand in with a sport. I'd go for roll ups with the local members and then mum started entering me into centre events. I thought "oh well, might as well" and it went from there.

Were you green on the greens?

When I first went to the Matamata club mum was away with the New Zealand team. I could see the bowlers lining up the mat, but I didn't know what they were doing. One of them said to me that I must have known because I'd watched a lot of bowls, but there is a big difference between playing and watching. The skip asked me to change hands because a bowl was in the way, and I put my bowl in the left hand. How embarrassing. Once I started playing, I loved the game. I had never realised what a challenge bowls was. I would ring mum and say I'll pick you up, we're off to the club, and she'd say "oh my God - I'm all bowled out". I was so keen. I'm mainly self-taught.

Your high point?

Definitely playing with mum and my sister Marina. We won two national fours ... we always called it our working holiday. Have fun, just enjoy the moment together. We were brought up to be a close family.

Your low point?

The breast cancer and operation. I've moved on, and I get yearly clearances. But gosh, I was just so happy to get through it. Russell Broadbent, an ex-Kiwi, was my surgeon at the Allamanda Private Hospital in Southport. He was brilliant. When I woke up I just thought I'm alive, I'm alive. I thought all my Christmases had come at once. I came home and stayed home - it made me realise how much I missed my family.

What is your major career ambition?

To get selected for the Commonwealth Games in India. I'll go in any discipline - just to be selected would be lovely.

Who has been your toughest opponent?

Back then, it was mum. I put her out in a champion of champions semifinal - that was a tough game. She said to me: "Bubs, you are bowling lovely, carry on like that, and just keep going." Every time I drew the jack she would run or drive my bowl off. People said later that mum threw the game, but how dare people surmise that? They had no right. We were both fighting for the game all the way - that is what sport is all about. Anyone who saw the game knew it was bowl for bowl. It was disgusting what some people said.

Your first sporting heroes?

I suppose cricketers, Richard Hadlee certainly was. Then of course there were the rugby guys. We were a rugby family. Players like Sid Going were my heroes, back then.

What is your best coaching tip for bowlers?

Be yourself, relax and enjoy. If you are tensed up and worried about an opponent, you will have beaten yourself up before you start. People ask who I am about to play and most of the time all I know is what rink I am on. I never worry about who I am playing.

Your biggest bowls disappointment?

My sister Marina was dropped from the New Zealand squad last year and we just can't fathom why. We won a medal in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and we were in a triple with Sharon Sims which won a medal at the world bowls. I was gutted about Marina being dropped. You can imagine how she felt. There are people selected who haven't proven themselves - we have asked the selectors why, but you don't get an answer. I nearly resigned over it, but Marina told me to keep going.

We hear you have a very hectic schedule between bowls and work?

I'm a caregiver and team leader at a rest home near Riccarton. There are three of us on the night shift - I get there at 11.30pm and finish at 7.15 in the morning. I realised that I couldn't have a day job if I wanted to progress in bowls. If a championship is on I rush home to have a shower and then off to a green somewhere by 8.30am or 9 o'clock. Often I'll head home, organise the housework, prepare dinner, go for a roll-up and then come home and have a sleep before doing it all again. My partner Trevor Todd is an indoor bowler. I've tried to get him playing outdoor bowls, but he says there's enough with me bowling all the time ...

Any superstitions?

Mum always said "Fly big bird, go for gold". If you found a feather on your rink, you picked it up and put it in your pocket or bra for good luck. It couldn't be a white one, it had to be dark. Every time at the nationals, mum would give us a little massage and then draw a bird on our shoulder or back with her finger - Marina and I still do it to each other now. There were a lot of pigeons near where I was staying at the nationals so I thought that was a good omen. You wouldn't believe it - Gazza [Gary Lawson] came over to me before the fours final and said "Chilli, I want a bird on my back," so I did one for him. Mum always did that for the guys when they were away on the internationals. Gary said to me: "Millie isn't here but Chilli, I need a bird from you."

Fly well Jan, and good luck for Commonwealth Games selection.