‘Foreign training can pave Pakistan wrestlers’ path to Olympics’
Zaman last Sunday won the coveted Rustam-e-Pakistan title for the first time
LAHORE: The recently crowned Rustam-e-Pakistan Zaman Anwar has said if provided with foreign training then the country’s top grapplers can achieve their goals of qualifying for Olympics and also excel in the world beach wrestling.
“If we are provided with foreign training then I am confident Pakistan will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics wrestling event and will also pull off medals in the World Beach Wrestling Series,” Zaman told ‘The News’ in an interview from Gujranwala.
Zaman last Sunday won the coveted Rustam-e-Pakistan title for the first time in his career after toppling promising wrestler Mohammad Asif Mochi from Army in a pulsating final which eventually was decided on points after a gripping 30-minute fight failed to produce any result here at the Punjab Stadium. The Gujranwala-born Zaman has all the potential to produce medals in both beach wrestling and mat wrestling international events.
The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medallist had also won bronze in the 2021 Beach Wrestling World Series in Greece which was his debut world series event. He said that he would continue working hard to bring medals for Pakistan.
“In 2021 I got bronze in the world beach wrestling series and now claimed the Rustam-e-Pakistan title. I am really happy with the achievement,” Zaman said.
“Besides mat wrestling I also want to bring in a big medal in the world beach wrestling,” said Zaman, who was warmly welcomed in Gujranwala when he reached there on Sunday night after being crowned Rustam-e-Pakistan.
He said that Asif made terrific effort to foil every trick he played. “It was the toughest fight for me,” Zaman said. “I was confident in the start but Asif offered me tough resistance. I used so many techniques but he defended smartly each time,” he said.
“In the end I tried my level best but he raised but I brought him down again that helped me win the title,” he said.
Zaman was seen protesting against Asif who violated some rules during the fight.
“Yes, I was protesting as Asif was violating some rules but it happens in such a tough and huge fight,” he said.
He was happy with the way he was received by the people who took him from bus stop to his home in a big procession which took him one and a half hour.
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