A tale of ‘Chotu’ wrestler’s resilience

Says short height did not stop him from building muscles and fighting bigger opponents

CHICHAWATNI:

A 22-year-old wrestler with a height of only three feet, named Chotu, recently gained popularity through social media platforms. Muhammad Rizwan alias PT, a resident of village 44/12L, belongs to a working class family in Chichawatni.

He was second among nine siblings and all the family members except him have normal height. However, Chotu’s short height did not stop him from his achievements. Rather, it gave him the determination to fight all odds in his path to becoming a wrestler. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Chotu wrester shared that he offers prayers five times a day. He also teaches young children the holy Quran in the morning as part of his daily routine, while he also often recites the call to prayer in his area. He did not make his short height a weakness and instead became a wrestler to challenge and defeated young men of much bigger body size due to his courage and fortitude.

As part of his gym workout, the wrestler specialises in performing 100 sets on one leg and a total of 3,000 on both legs. As the video of his workout and exercises went viral on social media, he gained recognition and appreciation from people in the digital space. After his popularity, people from all over Punjab reportedly started visiting his village to meet him and witness his performance. Rizwan claimed that he had been working hard in the field for eight years. “I have won cash prizes, trophies and a cow in various competitions.” He had challenged aspiring athletes to compete with him whenever and wherever they wanted to. He explained that he was mentored by his teacher Faisal Jutt. “In order to maintain my skills, I exercise regularly in the morning and evening under the supervision of my teacher. I eat three parathas with pure desi ghee in breakfast, while I eat meat in lunch and dinner.” He further said,

“I come from a working class family and do not have enough money. However, if the government sponsors me, I can make my country famous all over the world.” Responding to a question regarding marriage, he stated, “I am still a bachelor and my desire is to marry a virtuous woman from my community.”