Commonwealth Gold Medalist, Nooh Dastgir Butt is set to make his return to the Commonwealth circuit, albeit in another discipline.
The 26-year-old from Gujranwala is set to take part in the ongoing Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships taking place in Sun City, South Africa.
Nooh Dastgir Butt will also be joined by compatriots Hasnain Raza, Haider Ali and Dr. Adnan who are set to compete in various master’s categories.
While one would imagine that Butt would have continued to pursue proper weightlifting following his Gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, life as an athlete has been made unreasonably hard for the strongman.
In August 2022, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) suspended the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWLF) and set up their own interim board, a move that the PWLF strongly opposed. Amidst this internal conflict, PWLF officials accused Nooh Dastgir Butt of siding with the rival weightlifting organization, effectively barring him from participation, with the weightlifter strongly denying the allegations to this day.
Despite the setback, Nooh Dastgir Butt transitioned to strongman competitions, and immediately clinched the gold medal in the Hercules Columns competition at the Pahlavon Mahmud Strongman Games 2024 in Uzbekistan
Butt will be looking to add to Pakistan’s current medal tally at the event, with the sister trio of Sybil, Veronika and Twinkle Sohail already bagging Gold, Silver as well as bronze at the event.
