Pakistan’s Inam Butt qualifies for beach wrestling's quarter-finals

By
Faizan Lakhani
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Inam Butt. — Dean Treml/United World Wrestling/File
Inam Butt. — Dean Treml/United World Wrestling/File

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top wrestler Inam Butt went off to a victorious start in the third tournament of the World Beach Wrestling Series by winning both his fights on opening day to qualify for the quarter-final.

Butt’s countryman Zaman Anwar has also qualified for the knock-out stage after winning both group stage fights at the Katerini Beach in Greece.

Butt, the 32-year-old Pakistani wrestler competed in the 90kg weight category and downed Azerbaijan’s Ibrahim Yusubov in his opening fight before knocking down the bronze medalist of the London Olympics, Georgian Dato Marsagishvili.

He had earlier won the gold medal at the Rome event last week and will now play his quarter-final bout on Saturday afternoon against a Romanian wrestler.

The other Wrestler from Pakistan, Anwar, was competing in the 90+kg category. He started his journey in the tournament by overpowering Turkey’s Hidayet Kurt before beating Vasile Vlad Caras of Romania in the second fight.

Butt told Geo News after his fights that he is confident to win another medal for the country in Greece.

“Alhamdulillah, I have started well here and I am hopeful of continuing this run, I believe I am prepared well to take on any opponent. I have worked hard in the last few months despite difficult circumstances, and I am hopeful that my hard work will be paid off,” he said.