PWLF looks for foreign coach ahead of mega events

KARACHI: Pakistan Weight-lifting Federation (PWLF) is interested in hiring a foreign coach in order to train its lot for the forthcoming international assignments.

“Yes we need a foreign coach as there is no end to the learning process,” a senior official of PWLF told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

“The decision will be taken when we will hold a meeting with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). We have a handful of good coaches but you know if we are able to hire a quality foreign coach it will further help our weightlifters learn new things and develop their game,” the official said.

It is to be mentioned that the national weightlifters are training at Lahore to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and South Asian Games which Pakistan will host in March 2023.

The Commonwealth Games are penciled in for July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham while Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10-25.

Pakistan’s two leading weightlifters Olympian Talha Talib and Nooh Dastgir Butt are under training at the vicinities closer to their residences in Gujranwala.

The PWFL official said that they also regularly visit the national camp for a certain period and they are fit and working hard.

“If a weightlifter is doing well in the international circuit by training at his home, it's not appropriate to force him and ask him to join the national camp.

“These two are our leading players and they are doing well for Pakistan,” the official said.

Both Talha and Nooh are the bronze medalists of the previous Commonwealth Games held in Australia in 2018.

And, this time they are expected to earn gold medals in the Commonwealth Games.

They share similarity as both being trained by their fathers.

Talha shot to global fame when he finished fifth in the last year’s Tokyo Olympics in the 67 kilogramme weight category.