Sheikh Irfan
Srinagar: It has become a routine of 19-year-old Fardeem Hussain to spend the early morning lifting heavy weights before heading for his college.
Fardeem is preparing for the biggest event of his life- the internaional power lifting championship, which he has been dreaming of and preparing for, ever since he started taking interest in fitness.
A students of Bachelors degree in Business Administration at Gandhi Memorial College, Fardeem is sure that he will become the first powerlifter from Kashmir to win the gold medal in the competition.
“This year, I’m getting ready for competitions at the international level. I’m being led on this trip by my coach, Ishtiyaq Ahmad Khan, who also serves as the head of the World Fitness Federation and Powerlifting, India. I’m planning to submit my candidacy for a number of international contests that will take place in 2023,” he said.
The powerlifting competition Hussain participated in last year in Srinagar, where he triumphed over many of his rivals, served as his primary source of inspiration.
He said, “So far, I have taken part in numerous competitions organised at the Union Territory level and even in National championships.
His enthusiasm for powerlifting led him to win numerous events at the state level in just three years, making him the youngest licensed powerlifter in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Before, I wasn’t much into fitness. A lot of people my age were lifting large weights when I once went to a gym to get a general membership. It caught my eye, so I gradually began lifting a lot of weights to test my endurance,” he stated.
Hussain is one of the youngest trainers at one of the biggest gym chains in the world in addition to powerlifting.
“I am the youngest certified trainer, and I am currently giving young people internet training sessions. I was the youngest trainer at Gold Gym, one of the top gym chains in the world, in 2021, he claimed.
Hussain is currently training young people for competitions in powerlifting that will take place at the state level in India.
“Powerlifting is not particularly well known in Kashmir. Our youth have the potential to make a career in this sport, so I am on my mission to prepare youth to compete at bigger levels,” he said.
