Pakistan have ended a wait lasting 39 years for a gold at the Asian Youth Weightlifting Championship, as Abdur Rehman and Noor Dastagir starred to clinch as many as six gold medals in the 17th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championship in Doha, Qatar.
Pakistan last won a gold medal at the Asian championship in 1976 when Muhammad Arshad Malik won in the Clean+ Jerk and also in total by competing in the middle-weight category.
Abdur Rehman won three gold medals in the 77kg category as he lifted 113kg in Snatch, 138Kg in Jerk and a total of 251Kg, creating new national records. His closest rival from Taiwan lifted 112 Kg Snatch, 137 Kg Jerk and a total of 249kg.
Meanwhile, Noor also bagged three gold medals in his 94+ kg category by lifting 140Kg in Snatch, 190 Kg in Clean+ Jerk and ended with a grand total of 330 Kg. Noor also managed to set new national records in his weight category.
Earlier in the event, Fahad Hussain Butt won three silver medals as he lifted 86kg in Snatch, 101kg in clean +jerk and 187kg as a total.
Apart from Pakistan, weightlifters from India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Oman, Taiwan, Qatar, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Oman participated in the event.
Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWLF) President Mian Muhammad Aslam and Punjab Weightlifting Association President Zahoor Ahmad Wattoo congratulated the Pakistan team for creating history.
The team will arrive back today and PWLF is planning a welcome at the Islamabad Airport in their honour.