Pakistan wrestlers Inam Butt, Asad Ullah win medals at Asian Beach Games

SANYA: Pakistan wrestlers Muhammad Inam Butt and Asad Ullah delivered an outstanding performance at the 2026 Asian Beach Games, securing two silver medals and further elevating the country’s standing on the international stage.

Inam Butt and Asad Ullah reached their respective finals after an impressive run throughout the tournament. Both wrestlers fought valiantly in the gold medal bouts but were narrowly defeated by strong Iranian opponents, finishing with well-deserved silver medals for Pakistan.

In the 80kg category, Asad Ullah defeated India’s Mor Sachin and China’s Feng Lu in the quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively, to book his place in the final.

However, he suffered a 0-3 defeat against Iran’s Ali Gholami, ending with a silver medal.

In the 90kg category, Muhammad Inam Butt continued his dominant run by overcoming opponents from Bahrain and Mongolia to reach the title clash.

He defeated Bahrain’s Magomed Sharipov in the quarter-final before overcoming Turbold Ganbold in the semi-final. He squared off against Iran’s Amirhossein Kavousi but failed to clinch the gold.

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In the 70kg category, Muhammad Abdullah also impressed by defeating Thailand’s wrestler in the quarterfinal before falling in a hard-fought semifinal against India’s Siddharth.

President of the Pakistan Wrestling Federation, Arshad Sattar, congratulated the athletes, coaches, and officials, praising their fighting spirit and commitment.

He said the wrestlers had made the nation proud by raising Pakistan’s flag high through their exceptional performances.

Secretary General Muhammad Inam Butt also acknowledged the support of the Pakistan Olympic Association, Pakistan Sports Board, WAPDA, and the Pakistan Army, stating that their continued backing has played a vital role in Pakistan’s success.

Pakistan concluded the tournament with three medals overall, two silver medals in wrestling and one bronze medal in beach kabaddi.

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Wrestler Inam Butt clinches gold for WAPDA at National Games

KARACHI: Renowned national wrestler and Olympian Inam Butt secured gold for Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in the 92kg category here in the 35th National Games on Tuesday.

Inam, 36, created history after winning the national championship for the record 18th time.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army’s Nouman Zaka remained in the second position with silver, whereas Punjab’s Rana Faizan and Railway’s Haider Ali secured bronze medals.

It is pertinent to mention that Inam boasts an impressive wrestling career, having secured various accolades in multiple international events.

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The wreslter hailing from Gujranwala has eight gold, three silver, and one bronze medal, including the Commonwealth Games, World Beach Championships, World Beach Games, Asian Beach Games, and South Asian Games.

For the unversed, the 35th National Games Karachi are currently underway in the metropolitan city, featuring a range of multi-sport events from 6 to 13 December 2025.

The event is bringing together athletes from across the country in a sweeping programme that spans endurance sports, combat disciplines, precision events, and crowd-favourite team competitions.

The event features Olympic mainstays such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, and fencing. Moreover, Kabbadi, tug of war, netball, and boxing games are also part of the competitions.

It is pertinent to mention that the National Games, first held in 1948, stand among Pakistan’s most prominent multi-sport events and frequently serve as a pathway to international selection.

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Inam Butt qualifies for the Beach Wrestling World Series quarter-finals

ORTACA: Olympian Inam Butt started his Beach Wrestling World Series campaign on a high as he stormed into the quarter-finals of the tournament, here on Saturday.

Inam, who won the gold medal in the 2021 World Beach Wrestling Championship, displayed his brilliance in the recently commenced tournament here as he remained undefeated in the group stage to book a quarter-finals spot.

Former champion and last edition’s bronze medal winner, scripted a flying start to his Beach Wrestling World series as the national wrestler blew away his opponents and claimed four successive victories.

Inam Butt, competing in the Group A of the 90kg category, locked horns with China’s Chaoqiang Yang in his first fight of the day.

The former champion thumped Yang 3-1 after a one-sided affair and qualified for the next fight.

Inam Butt then took on Belgium’s Jonas Van Caeneghem and utterly dominated him throughout the competition before blowing him away by the score of 3-0.

He then faced Azerbaijan’s Ibrahim Yusubov in his third group-stage fight and also emerged victorious.

In his final duel on the opening day of the Beach Wrestling World Series, Inam Butt then came face to face with Romania’s Mihai Nicolae Palaghia and also secured a perfect 3-0 victory to taste his fourth triumph of the day.

It is pertinent to mention that Inam Butt will now compete in the Beach Wrestling World Series’ quarter-finals on June 11. The two-day event will conclude tomorrow, with the knockout rounds taking place on the same day.

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Inam Butt off to a flying start in Beach Wrestling World Series 2023

KALLANG: Renowned national wrestler and Olympian Inam Butt started his Beach Wrestling World Series 2023 campaign on a high by claiming three back-to-back victories.

Former champion and last edition’s bronze medal winner, scripted a flying start to his Beach Wrestling World series as the national wrestler blew away his opponents and claimed three successive victories.

Inam Butt, competing in the Group A of the 90kg category, locked horns with China’s Chaoqiang Yang in his first fight of the day.

The former champion thumped Yang 3-1 after a one-sided affair and qualified for the next fight.

Inam Butt then took on Belgium’s Jonas Van Caeneghem and utterly dominated him throughout the competition before blowing him away by the score of 3-0.

In his third duel on the opening day of the Beach Wrestling World Series, Inam Butt then came face to face with Romania’s Mihai Nicolae Palaghia and also secured a perfect 3-0 victory to taste his third triumph of the day.

It is pertinent to mention that Inam next faces Azerbaijan’s Ibrahim Yusubov in his final group-stage fight before the finals on Sunday.

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Inam, other medalists receive warm reception on their return to the country

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani medalists who shone in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games and Islamic Solidarity Games were given a warm reception on Monday at Islamabad Airport upon their return to the country.

Director General Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Colonel (retd) Mohammad Asif Zaman welcomed the silver medalist of the Commonwealth Games Inam Butt and other top performers of the global event as they reached the country from the United Kingdom (UK).

Earlier DG PSB announced that a ceremony would be held in the honor of the athletes and present them with awards.

“We say welcome to our national heroes,” he said. “Gold medalists Arshad Nadeem and Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt as well as other medalists will also be given a warm welcome on their return to the country,” he continued.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistani athletes secured eight medals including two golds by weightlifter Nooh Butt and javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games 2022.

Whereas, Arshad also imitated alike performance in the Islamic Games as he claimed the gold by setting the Games record.

National wrestlers remained the major contributor to the country’s medal tally as Inam Butt, Zaman Anwar, and Sharif Tahir bagged a silver each.

Wrestlers Inayatullah and Ali Asad, on the other hand, managed to bag a bronze apiece, while Shah Hussain Shah claimed bronze in Judo.

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Inam loses to Indian opponent, bags silver in CWG Wrestling

BIRMINGHAM: National wrestler Inam Butt failed to continue his exceptional performance in the gold medal bout of the Men’s Freestyle 86kg Wrestling in the ongoing Commonwealth Games as he lost to India’s Deepak Punia.

The one-sided Indo-Pak final produced an entirely different outcome, with Inam on the losing side as India’s Poonia thrashed the former 3-0.

In an enduring final, Poonia kept Inam at the bay for the majority of the clash before running away with the victory and shattering the latter’s hope of claiming his second consecutive gold medal.

In the gold medal match, Inam appeared oblivious to Poonia’s attacking strategy, which put the latter on the back foot for the majority of the match.

Following him losing in the final, Inam, however, claimed the first silver medal for Pakistan in this year’s Commonwealth Games, taking the country’s overall tally to four.

His compatriot Inayatullah, earlier, thrashed Scotland’s Ross Connelly to seal the second bronze for Pakistan. National weightlifter Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt thus far remained the only athlete to hand Pakistan a gold medal in the ongoing global event.

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Inam pounds South Africa’s Lessing, inches closer to gold in CWG

BIRMINGHAM: National wrestler Inam Butt has moved one victory away from claiming a gold medal in the Men’s Freestyle 86kg Wrestling in the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022.

Last year’s gold medalist at the Games, Inam has now moved within a victory to claim his second consecutive gold as he outclassed his South African opponent to storm into the final.

In a competitive semi-final, Inam held his nerves calm to edge past South Africa’s Edward Lessing 5-3 to confirm at least a silver medal for Pakistan.

Besides Inam, another national Wrestler Zaman Anwar shone in his semi-final encounter against England’s Mandhir Kooner as he defeated the latter 5-0 to breeze into the final.

Young wrestler Inayatullah, however, suffered a frustrating defeat at the hands of Canadian wrestler Lachlan McNeil, who ran away with the victory with the scores of 11-0.

The 20-year-old wrestler, however, will compete for the Bronze with Scotland’s Ross Connelly, who lost to India’s Bajrang Punia in the first semi-final.

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Inam sinks Lawrence to book CWG semi-final spot in Wrestling

BIRMINGHAM: National wrestler Inam Butt outclassed his Australian opponent Jayden Lawrence to storm into the semi-finals of Men’s Freestyle Wrestling in the 86kg category on Friday.

Inam, who had a flying start to his Commonwealth Games campaign as he thrashed his Scottish opponent Kieran Malone 11-0 in the Round of 16, further carried on his scintillating run as he downed Australia’s Lawrence in the quarter-final.

In a rather competitive quarter-final clash, Inam edged past Lawrence 8-3 to move one victory within bagging a medal for the nation.

The flag-bearer for Pakistan in this year’s games, Inam will now lock horns with South African wrestler Edward Lessing in a bid to confirm a silver in the competition.

Besides Inam, another national Wrestler Zaman Anwar shone in his semi-final encounter against England’s Mandhir Kooner as he defeated the latter 5-0 to confirm at least a silver medal for the country.

Young wrestler Inayatullah, however, suffered a frustrating defeat at the hands of Canadian wrestler Lachlan McNeil, who ran away with the victory with the scores of 11-0.

The 20-year-old wrestler, however, will compete for the Bronze with England’s George Ramm, who lost to India’s Bajrang Punia in the first semi-final.

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Pakistan’s Inayatullah, Inam star in CWG Wrestling events

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistani wrestlers Inam Butt and Inayatullah shone on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games 2022 Wrestling event as the national wrestlers won their respective matches to book their spots in the finals.

In a first, Inayatullah bagged a resounding 10-0 victory as he dashed Malta’s Adam Vella in 2 minutes and 45 seconds to reach the quarter-final of the Men’s Freestyle 65kg category before sinking his Nigerian opponent Amas Daniel 4-0 to move one victory away from a medal.

The reigning gold medalist Inam, on the other hand, carried on his last year’s momentum to pound his Scottish opponent Kieran Malone 11-0 in the Round of 16 clash to move a step closer to his medal expedition as he too, booked his quarter-final spot.

Meanwhile, another national wrestler Zaman Anwar dominated his Mauritius opponent Kensley Anthony Marie 8-0 in the Men’s Freestyle 125kg quarter-final to seal a semi-final berth.

It is pertinent to mention here that Inam will take on Australia’s Jayden Lawrence in the quarter-final today.

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Inam to start his CWG campaign as Wrestling event embarks on August 5

BIRMINGHAM: Inam Butt, the reigning gold medallist, will begin his Commonwealth Games 2022 campaign on August 5, when the wrestling competition gets underway.

The gold medalist of the previous edition Inam will be competing in the 86kg category and is one of the major medal hopes for the country.

Along with Inam, national wrestlers Inayat Ullah and Zaman Anwar will compete tomorrow in the 65kg and 125kg weight divisions, respectively.

While the wrestling competition, which starts on August 6, will include wrestlers Ali Asad, Mohammad Tahir Sharif, and Tayyab Raza competing in weight classes of 57 kg, 74 kg, and 97 kg, respectively.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan contingent has thus far claimed two medals in different sporting events. Weightlifter Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt claimed gold in the 109+kg category, while Judo player Shah Hussain Shah secured Bronze in 90kg.

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