Birmingham
\nAfter setting a new Commonwealth Games record of 405 kg in the 109 kg-plus category, Pakistan\u2019s Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt, 25, looked around for the bronze medalist, India\u2019s Gurdeep Singh. The winner of Pakistan\u2019s first gold medal at these Games wasn\u2019t just being courteous for the camera, but rather looking for his friend to share their moment of glory, The Indian Express reported from Birmingham.
\nMuch later, away from the public spotlight, the two would dance into the night, sharing their joy while listening to their favourite Sidhu Moosewala tunes in the background.
\nThe two strongmen from the two Punjabs on either side of the India-Pakistan border had established a bond while competing against each other on the world circuit due to their shared musical tastes, culture, and mother tongue.
\nThe lifters, who were born 250 kilometres apart in Pakistan\u2019s Gujranwala and Majri Rasulra village in Khanna district, have a long history.They may have been attempting to out-lift one other since their junior years, but they haven\u2019t let fierce competition ruin their friendship, the Indian news publication reported.
\n\u201cGurdeep and I have been very good friends. After the gold, I first congratulated Gurdeep and later we did a small celebration where we danced to Moosewala\u2019s songs,\u201d Nooh told The Indian Express.
\nGurdeep expressed the same sentiment. \u201cNooh and I first met in junior championships six years ago and would share tips about diet. Conversing in Punjabi obviously helped our friendship,\u201d he said.
\nIn a report by Daily Dawn, however, Nooh was quoted as saying in a \u201cmischievous tone\u201d that he is from a Muslim country and doesn\u2019t dance.
\nThe two athletes keep in touch even when they are not competing as in May of this year, when a concerned Nooh called Gurdeep.
\n\u201cWhen I saw the news of Sidhu Moosewala\u2019s death, I messaged Gurdeep to confirm. At my home gym, where I train, I played songs like Jatt Da Muqabla and the recently released Song 295 to set the tempo for my training,\u201d says Nooh, who hails from a family of weightlifters.
\nNooh had grown up hearing stories about his father, Ghulam Dastgir Butt, a 16-time Pakistan national champion, and his journeys throughout the world, as well as the friends he had established in what they were told was enemy territory.
\nHe always mentioned India as a friendly country where Pakistani players were always welcomed. It did not fit the dominant narrative of animosity promoted by the media of the two states, which have fought multiple wars since Partition.
\nButt Senior first came to India in 1987 to compete in the South Asian Federation Games in Kolkata, where he won a gold medal. He is overjoyed to receive a call from the other side of the border on the same day that his son won gold in a competition in which India got bronze.
\nNooh also admires Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu. \u201cIn addition to my father, I look up to Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu.\u201d She is the torchbearer for South Asia, and the impact she has had on international weightlifting makes us proud as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Birmingham After setting a new Commonwealth Games record of 405 kg in the 109 kg-plus category, Pakistan\u2019s Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt, 25, looked around for the bronze medalist, India\u2019s Gurdeep Singh. The winner of Pakistan\u2019s first gold medal at these Games wasn\u2019t just being courteous for the camera, but rather looking for his friend to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-275870","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n