Tag: Weightlifting

  • Hey Pak govt, aren’t we sporty enough for you?

    Hey Pak govt, aren’t we sporty enough for you?

    Sports in any country is a celebrated sector of society. It brings pride and recognition to a country. Sports are symbolic of life. Life demands discipline, resilience, respect, compassion, teamwork, and character. Sports help develop those skills to apply on the playing field and in life. In any country, the state invests in their sports and the individuals playing them. Pakistan does just the opposite of it.

    Pakistan chooses to forget its most talented and has a way of neglecting its sportsmen and sportswomen. Cricket and our men in green are a source of continuous pride for the country but there are other sports and players who too wear green with pride, and give it their all to bring us glory.

    Our teams have gone to the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics but the players participating tell the same stories of negligence and their individual hard work. So what is that the players say? One: They need the state to pay attention to them. Two: Recognise the talent and show confidence in them when they are trying to develop their skills and polish themselves for the better. Three: Give them better training so that they can perform well and bring gold, silver, and bronze medals back home. Four: Treat them as equal and as important as they would treat a person playing cricket. Five: Don’t take credit for our individual wins as you have not invested in us. They ask the state to actually invest in them so that they can stand tall amongst the best.

    What does the state do instead? The state has been in a habit of neglecting the raw and the talented, barring them from the opportunities which could have done wonders for the games, players, and the country. Yes, in recent times we see a prime minister congratulating a gold medalist but is congratulations enough? Don’t they deserve better training, better chances, and a better future? We can only hope that the state realises that mixed fortunes become the fate of many players in Pakistan because they were left out at some point. We can only hope that the state realises that every sport matters, every game matters, and every player is worth fighting for and that he and she deserves to get the best facilities. May our talented players keep making us proud.

  • ‘World ka gold medal b ayega’: Talha Talib wins Pakistan first ever medal in World Weightlifting Championship

    ‘World ka gold medal b ayega’: Talha Talib wins Pakistan first ever medal in World Weightlifting Championship

    Pakistan’s young weightlifter Talha Talib has won the country’s first ever medal at the World Weightlifting Championship on Friday by winning a Bronze at the snatch event in the 67kg category.

    In a message on Twitter after his victory, Talib said he hoped to win a gold medal for the country soon too. While he also thanked everyone who supported him.

    The 22-year-old weightlifter from Gujranwala managed to create history for Pakistan in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

    He lifted 143kg in his first attempt in the snatch event in the 67kg competition. His following attempts of lifting 146kg and 147kg were unsuccessful, but the lift of 143kg in the first attempt was enough for him to secure a medal for Pakistan.

    Last year, Talha won the Bronze medal in same category at the Asian Championship. The performance earned him a place at Tokyo Olympics, where he finished fifth.

    The performance at the Olympics brought him into the limelight and the country’s sports authorities assured him full support for future events.

    Several notables, including Provincial Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Government of Punjab Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti, congratulated the athlete on accomplishing the feat.

  • Fans gush over Pakistani Olympian Talha Talib’s hot picture

    Fans gush over Pakistani Olympian Talha Talib’s hot picture

    Pakistani weightlifter, who represented Pakistan in the Tokyo Olympics and held the gold medal spot until the final round, shared a picture of himself on Instagram and his fans are going crazy.

    “Don’t stop believing in yourself. No matter what happens,” wrote Talha, while sharing the picture.

    The 21-year-old weightlifter from Gujranwala took part in the 67kg category in the Tokyo Olympics, broke his own national record in the final round. He was eventually bumped down and finished fifth in the competition, lifting 170 kilograms. However, he was widely hailed in the country for his effort.

    Here are a few reactions from the fans on his post:

  • CM Punjab Buzdar promises to ensure better sporting facilities for youth

    CM Punjab Buzdar promises to ensure better sporting facilities for youth

    Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has promised to ensure better sporting facilities for youth in Pakistan.

    Taking to Twitter, CM said: “The whole nation is proud of Arshad Nadeem. He finished in top 5 but his determination will motivate and inspire Millions of Pakistanis.”

    “Punjab Government will Insha Allah ensure more and better sporting facilities for our youth to follow in the footsteps of Talha Talib and Arshad Nadeem,” said the CM.

    While several others encouraged both Arshad Nadeem and Talha Talib for their efforts in Olympics without any facility.

    Here are a few tweets from politicians, sportsmen and notables, encouraging Nadeem:

    https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan/status/1423980451782397961?s=20

    Arshad congratulated the gold medalist Neeraj Chopra and apologised from the nation for letting them down.

    https://twitter.com/ArshadNadeemPak/status/1423983262406483972?s=20

    The 24-year-old athlete finished fifth among 12 contestants as India’s Neeraj won gold and Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Vitezslav Vesely claimed silver and bronze medals.

    Arshad Nadeem was aspiring to win Pakistan’s first Olympics medal since the men’s hockey team earned a podium finish in 1992.

    The athlete made history last week as he became first-ever Pakistani athlete to qualify for the final of any track and field event in the Olympics.