Olympics Begin In
:
Days
:
Hours
:
Mins
 
Secs
Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

News

58-year-old weightlifter wins gold in national championship

58-year-old weightlifter wins gold in national championship
X
By

Umaima Saeed

Published: 11 Feb 2020 1:17 PM GMT

A 58-year-old weightlifter from Nuh, Abid Hussain, has won a gold medal in the 81kg category of the weightlifting competition during the third national Masters’ Games held in Vadodara from February 5-9.

The third national Masters’ Games 2020 was organised by the Masters Games Federation, India, for participants who are above the age of 30. Hussain retired in January after teaching at a school in Mewat for two decades but did not withdraw from the sport.

58-year-old weightlifter from Nuh, Abid Hussain (Image: Haryana Weightlifting)
58-year-old weightlifter from Nuh, Abid Hussain (Image: Haryana Weightlifting)

He told Hindustan Times, “As a kid studying in Nuh, there were not many games I could play. We didn’t have a playground so some of my friends used to practice weightlifting. That’s how I became interested. In Nuh, sportspersons don’t receive any support from the local authorities, so if a player has to take part in any national or international games, it has to be at their own cost.”

Hussain belongs to a family of weightlifters with his three brothers also being weightlifters. “I always wanted to be a weightlifter but my family’s financial situation was such that I was forced to take up a job as a primary school teacher in Nuh. Even as a teacher, I was not able to leave weightlifting,” Hussain said.

This was not the first time Hussain participated in a major sporting event. In 2018, he won a gold medal in the 77kg category of the weightlifting competition in Asia Pacific Masters Games (APMG), which was held in Penang, Malaysia. “I have represented Haryana in the 1982 Asiad in Delhi and many other international events,” he said.

Next Story