Talha vows to do his best at Olympics

KARACHI: Having secured IOC Tripartite Commission place for the next month’s Tokyo Olympics, Pakistan’s promising weightlifter and Asian Championship bronze medallist Talha Talib has said that he would do his best at the world’s most prestigious spectacle.

“I am very happy and I thank God for blessing me with the chance to represent Pakistan in the Olympics,” Talha told ‘The News’ on Friday hours after the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) disclosed that he got an IOC place.

“This will be after over four decades that a Pakistani weightlifter will participate in the Olympics,” he said.

Mohammad Manzoor and Arshad Malik were the last weightlifters to represent Pakistan at the Olympics — in the 1976 Montreal Games.

Talha recently won bronze in snatch in the Asian Championship — he achieved the fourth place in total.

He said that he would maintain his original pattern of training. “Although I have come to know today that I have earned an IOC place, I have been training for the Olympics for the last two months. I am focussing on every aspect, having improved both my snatch and clean and jerk and hopefully it will be a good stint during the Tokyo Games,” said Talha, who competes in 67 kg category.

Living in Gujranwala and employed by WAPDA, Talha’s career has been full of struggle. It is the passion which has driven him to this place.

He trains under the watch of his father Mohammad Islam in Gujranwala. He trains at a public school ground in an open area in Gujranwala. He does not have standard equipment with him. And it has always created issues for him when he goes to compete in the international circuit. He has been requesting the state for equipment and a proper hall through the Prime Minister’s portal for the last three years. But so far he has not been supported.

“Yes, it’s a big issue,” Talha said. “There is no proper hall here and the equipment I am using also is sub-standard,” Talha said.

“I lift a specific weight five times here successfully with this equipment but when I go abroad for an international event I face trouble there. Unless you have international standard equipment it is not easy to impress,” Talha said.

“It’s not an issue to win a medal in the Olympics. But for that you need to train accordingly — with proper equipment and a proper hall and not in the open,” Talha said.

“The school where I have been training since long in Gujranwala will also not be available for me after August 1. And I don’t know where I will go then. It’s a big issue. Only the government can resolve this issue,” Talha said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) secretary Amjad Amin Butt was also happy with the development. “Thanks God. It’s a great honour for our game,” Butt told ‘The News’.

“Talha is a talented weightlifter and I hope he will put in his best in the Olympics. His participation in the Olympics will motivate youngsters and it will help the sport,” Butt said.

Talha’s father Mohammad Islam was also happy with the development. “Yes, it’s great for the country and InshaAllah Talha will fight for the medal,” Islam told this correspondent.

“Talha is working on every aspect of the game and it’s a great opportunity for him to express himself at the biggest stage. He is talented and I hope he will do his best,” Islam said.

Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) said: “Accepting the request of NOC Pakistan, the International Olympic Committee has confirmed that the Olympic Games Tripartite Commission has finalised the Invitation Places in collaboration with International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and Mr. Talha Talib has succeeded to secure the Invitation place in -67kg in Weightlifting for Tokyo 2020.

“Talha Talib has clinched medals in the Commonwealth Games (bronze), South Asian Games (gold) and International Solidarity Weightlifting Championship (gold) for Pakistan.”

POA chief Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan congratulated Talha for securing an Olympic place. The POA chief paid tribute to the PWF and his parents for their efforts and support to Talha for this milestone.