CWG 2022: Pakistani superstar is a Jabra fan of India’s golden girl Mirabai Chanu, who won gold in CWG

As soon as weightlifter Noah Dastgir Butt won the first medal of the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Pakistan, the first hand to congratulate him was none other than Indian superstar Mirabai Chanu. Chanu has joined the ranks of ‘superstar’ by winning an Olympic medal and has become an ‘icon’ not only for India but also for weightlifters from neighboring countries. Butt won the gold medal in the men’s 109-plus kg category by lifting a record 405 kg.

After this he said, ‘When he (Chanu) congratulated me and praised my performance, it was a proud moment for me.’ The 24-year-old weightlifter from Pakistan broke all three records at the Commonwealth Games with 173 kg in snatch, 232 kg in clean and jerk and 405 kg in total weight. Butt said, “We look to Mirabai as an inspiration. He showed us that even we players from South Asian countries can win Olympic medals. When he won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, we all felt very proud of him.

Gurdeep Singh also won a bronze medal for India in the same category and Butt considers him a close friend. Butt said, ‘We have been very good friends for the last seven-eight years. We train together abroad several times. We are always in touch. For him it was not an ‘Indo-Pak’ match but a personal challenge to do his best.

Butt said of Gurdeep, “It was not like I was competing with an Indian weightlifter. I just wanted to give my best and win a medal. Gurdeep became the first Indian weightlifter for India to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the plus weight category. Butt has visited India twice for international competitions. The first tournament was the 2015 Youth Commonwealth Championship in Pune and the second was the South Asian Games in Guwahati the following year. “I have been to India twice and the support I have received cannot be forgotten. I want to go to India again. He said, ‘I think I have more fans in India than in Pakistan.

CWG 2022: Gurdeep Singh wins bronze despite injury, India gets 10th medal in weightliftingCWG 2022: After waiting for 5 days, Pakistan gets gold, Noah Dastgir Butt becomes National Hero