Pakistani Weightlifter Says He was Inspired by Mirabai after Winning Gold 

Pakistani Weightlifter Inspired by Mirabai after Winning Gold 

Source- “We Look Up To Mirabai Chanu For Inspiration”: Pakistani Weightlifter Who Won Gold At CWG 2022 | Commonwealth Games News (ndtv.com) ; Nooh Dastagir Butt – Bing images 

As soon as the Pakistani weightlifter, Nooh Dastagir Butt won the first gold medal in the Commonwealth Games 2022, he was greatly congratulated by Mirabai Chanu for his success in first place.  

Mirabai Chanu after performing the best on the stage and winning first the gold medal for India in this edition of Commonwealth Games 2022, has not only become the superstar and idol of her own country but also of her neighbour nations.  

Butt after winning the gold medal in the men’s 109kg category with a record lift of 405 kg said the PTI that it was a proud moment for him when Mirabai congratulated him on his performance. 

24-year-old, Nooh Dastagir Butt, overcame all the three Games record of –  

• 173 in snatch 
• 232 in clean and jerk and  
• aggregate.  

He also said that Mirabai was an inspiration for all. Mirabai has proved that south Asians can also win medals in Olympic. He added that the winning of silver medal in Tokyo Olympics by Mirabai Chanu was a moment of pride. 

Gurdeep Singh from India won bronze in the same category. Butt said, “We have been good friends for the last seven- eight years. We have been trained together in abroad a few times. We are always in touch,” 

He said that for him it was never a battle between India and Pakistan, rather a challenge of doing his best. He said he visited India twice, once in the Youth Commonwealth Championship in Pune in 2015 and the next was for the South Asian Games in Guwahati. He added that the support which he received from India was always heart touching, encouraging and unforgettable. Butt added in a cherish way, that he has more fans in India than in Pakistan. His arrival in India during the South Asian Games in Guwahati in 216 never made him realise that he came from Pakistan or was the enemy of India. He was welcomed with joy and bid goodbye with tears, he said. He was quite astonished to see such embracement of him in just 10-15 days of his visit for the Championship in Guwahati. It has already been six years from ten and still Butt intends to visit India even in the future. He continued saying, “I definitely will to visit India again. I never enjoyed any competition like the way I enjoyed in India.” 

This was the only second gold medal for Pakistan won by Nooh Dastagir Butt in the Commonwealth Games, 2022 after the winning of gold medal by Shuja-Uddin Malik, the only weightlifter of the country to win gold in Melbourne 2006. Judoka Shah Hussain Shah is the only Pakistani after winning a bronze in the Commonwealth Games podium. 

Butt’s father-cum-coach, Ghulam Dastagir was a former national champion and SAF Games medalist. He built a gymnasium at their home in Gujranwala, where he trains for hours. 

Butt said that he had a huge responsibility on his shoulder to give the country its first gold, as his fellow athletes couldn’t win. Butt signed off saying that he struggled injuries after 2018 and was unable to take part in the Tokyo Olympics. He worked hard with his father for the last two-three years and finally made a genuine comeback. He said it’s all for his Abbu (father in Urdu) for whom he has achieved the position. He continued his dad was his inspiration and the gold medal which he won today in the Commonwealth Games 2022 belongs to his father.