Pakistani weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt made an impressive international debut on Thursday at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Classic and Equipped Championships in South Africa, winning gold in the squat event.
The Pride of Performance Award winner and Commonwealth Games gold medalist lifted an astounding 370 kilograms in his first powerlifting competition at Sun City, marking him as Pakistan’s inaugural gold medalist in powerlifting.
In an Instagram post, Butt celebrated his achievement, stating, “Won gold medal at Commonwealth Classic Powerlifting Championships 2024. Stop me if you can; this Butt is not going to stop,” while expressing gratitude to his supporters.
Butt is also set to compete in the bench press and deadlift categories, where he is favored to win two more gold medals and potentially claim the overall championship title in the 120kg+ category, aiming for a total of four gold medals.
Hailing from Gujranwala, known as Pakistan’s hub for weightlifting and wrestling, Butt has been lifting weights since he was 11. By age 18, he was already making headlines internationally. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he set new records in the snatch, clean-and-jerk, and total categories, attributing much of his success to his father, who has dedicated years to training him.
