22-time winner earns Rs1,000 pledge marble, hopes for government job to build academy for tribal youth
Rizwan Pathan with winning shields. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
By day, 27-year-old Rizwan Pathan hauls heavy slabs of marble in a factory and earns barely enough to keep his children fed. At night, despite sore limbs and exhaustion, he goes to the sports field to train.
“I work so my children don’t go to bed hungry,” he says. “And I train so the athlete in me doesn’t die.”
Rizwan is not just a worker. He is a 22-time award-winning athlete in mixed martial arts and gymnastics. Yet his daily wages are as low as Rs.1,000, and on days when power outages halt factory work, he sometimes earns nothing at all.
A refugee’s path to the ring
Rizwan’s story begins in Bajaur. In 2008, following military operations against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, his family was forced to move to Nowshera before he eventually settled in a rented home in Mardan.
What seemed like adversity at the time turned into what Rizwan calls a “blessing in disguise.” Watching karate and gymnastics videos with a friend ignited a dream in him. “That’s when I decided I wanted to be an athlete,” he recalls.
However, obstacles appeared early on. When Rizwan tried to register for a sports gala, he was told that participants from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were not eligible. Determined, he borrowed a friend’s Form B (an official document for registering children under 18), one without even a photo, entered and won the competition.
He then handed the certificate back to his friend. “What was I even supposed to do with this paper?” he said, adding that with no prize money, there was little need for it.
Shoes, scrap and sparring
As economic pressure mounted, Rizwan moved to Peshawar, where he polished shoes on the streets and worked in hotels to support his family. The evening shifts also meant free meals; a plus.
Although he continued to win competitions, his passion for martial arts was mocked. “The hotel owner used to say you are a loafer. These kicks will not feed your stomach,” recalls Rizwan.
But the kicking continued, whether it was on training pitches, in competitions or in life.
From Peshawar, Rizwan’s struggle took him to Punjab. There he pushed a scrap car to secure shelter for his family. The business helped him survive, but the debt still lingers.
Lending from an empty pocket
Despite his own hardships, Rizwan’s commitment to sports extends beyond himself. Unable to bear seeing another athlete’s dreams collapse due to poverty, he took a loan to help a young boxer from Bajaur enter competitions. Some of that loan remains unpaid, but he has no regrets.
“If one athlete rises, the whole area rises,” he says.
A job, a dream, an academy
It is not fame or charity that the worker-cum-athlete wants. His desire is simple, a stable government job that will allow him to support his family and dedicate time to building a sports academy. His dream is to bring the youth of the erstwhile FATA region into sports – to steer them towards discipline, opportunities and positive engagement.
From lifting marbles by day to throwing punches by night, Rizwan continues to fight, not just for medals, but for dignity, survival and the next generation of athletes.
