Talha Talib once again made headlines when he became the first Pakistani ever to win a medal at the World Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last month. He won a bronze medal in the snatch event in the 67kg category.

While he was given a hero’s welcome by the public, the authorities promised to extend all the required financial and material support to the weightlifter to enable him to improve on his performances in the future.

However, as usual, the authorities failed to facilitate him as Talha was seen training inside a classroom of a school that he once attended. He was forced to train in the classroom at night due to rainfall.

Taking to Twitter, Talha revealed that although Punjab Sports Board (PSB) had given him an option of indoor training at a gymnasium in his hometown Gujranwala, he decided against availing of the facility due to a clash of timings and poor air quality in the surroundings.

He explained that as a professional weightlifter, he is required to follow a proper training schedule. He performs his morning training session from 3-5 AM and works out from 6-9 PM in the evening. But, the gymnasium opens up at 7 AM, which forced him to look for other alternatives.

He added that there are a lot of factories located near the gymnasium. The smoke emanating from them coupled with vehicular emissions makes it unbearable to train in such an environment.

Talha also clarified that the purpose of sharing the video wasn’t to point out any department, adding that the PSB had given him Rs. 2 million in cash prize and international equipment after he made the nation proud due to his performances at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

He is now set to feature in the Singapore International Weightlifting Championship scheduled to be held next month. This event also serves as a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games that will be held in July-August this year in the UK.

Source: Pro Pakistani