The Higher Education Commission (HEC) emerged as the overall champion in both the men’s and women’s categories at the National Weightlifting Championships 2026, while Punjab finished as runners-up in the prestigious event held at the National Coaching Centre, Lahore. The five-day championship, organized by the Interim Committee of the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWLF) with the support and approval of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), concluded on July 14 after commencing on July 10.
The championship began with a national seminar on “Doping and Its Consequences”, where Pakistan Anti-Doping Board CEO Dr. Sohail Saleem delivered the keynote address. He urged athletes to avoid performance-enhancing substances and cautioned against the indiscriminate use of supplements and multivitamins, emphasizing that they may be contaminated and could harm both athletes’ health and sporting careers.
Veteran weightlifter Suhail Yousaf Butt inaugurated the competition on July 11 in the presence of Commonwealth Games champion Shujauddin Malik (Tamgha-i-Imtiaz), Irfan Islam (Pride of Performance), international officials and leading figures of Pakistan’s weightlifting community. Competitions were contested across eight men’s and eight women’s bodyweight categories.
One of the biggest highlights of the championship was the outstanding performance of 17-year-old Furqan Ahmad of Punjab, who shattered the national record in the 88kg category. He lifted 145kg in the snatch and 180kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 325kg, improving upon his previous national championship total of 315kg achieved in Karachi in 2025.
Another rising star, Haider Shakaib, aged under 17, claimed the 94kg title with lifts of 137kg in the snatch and 150kg in the clean and jerk, totaling 287kg. Haider is also the Under-15 silver medallist at the Far East Cup Russia 2024. Both young athletes train under renowned coaches Shujauddin Malik and Sajjad Amin Malik, both South Asian Games champions and record holders.
Balochistan also celebrated a historic achievement as Ameer Hamza, another promising lifter under the age of 17, secured the province’s maiden gold medal in the 110kg category with a total lift of 270kg. He is the son of former national champion and international weightlifter Alam Din.
In the women’s competition, Maham Qasim, Sahar Waeen, Aqsa Bashir, Aisha Jahangir, Zoha Javed and Fiza Khokhar of HEC, along with Eman Fatimah and Sumaika Butt of Punjab, captured gold medals in their respective weight categories, further underlining HEC’s dominance at the championships.
