Pakistan's ace grappler Inam turns to beach wrestling after Commonwealth Games exclusion

Muhammad Inam, Pakistan’s celebrated wrestler and a former gold medalist in both the World Beach Games and World Beach Wrestling Championships, is nearing the end of his illustrious career.

Initially, he had planned to extend his career until the 2026 Commonwealth Games. However, with wrestling excluded from the Glasgow-hosted event, Inam has shifted his focus.

“Wrestling is not part of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which I had hoped to compete in again. Now, I’ve decided to concentrate entirely on beach wrestling,” Inam said in an interview with Nukta.

“There is also no camp and it would be better to stretch my career in beach wrestling in which I have also delivered top performances,” Inam said.

His Commonwealth Games record in mat wrestling is remarkable, with gold medals in the 2010 Delhi Games and the 2018 Gold Coast Games, followed by a silver in the 2022 Birmingham Games.

Despite his stellar performance at the Commonwealth level, Inam couldn’t achieve the same results in Asian-level mat wrestling.

A lack of Olympic-level exposure was a key factor hindering his progress. However, he excelled in beach wrestling in recent years, winning numerous global titles, including back-to-back golds in the World Beach Wrestling Championships in 2017 (Dalyan) and 2018 (Sarigerme). He also clinched gold in the 2019 Doha World Beach Games.

Inam’s performances in the World Beach Wrestling Series have been inconsistent, partly due to visa issues that limited his participation. Nevertheless, he remains recognized as one of the best beach wrestlers globally.

Future plans

At 35, Inam is optimistic about continuing to achieve global success in beach wrestling.

“I believe I can still win major titles,” he said. “I plan to carefully select beach wrestling events in the coming months and aim to perform my best,” added Inam, who also won gold at the 2016 Vietnam Asian Beach Games.

While the Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) plans to organize the Rustam-e-Pakistan competition soon, Inam has opted out. “Participating would require me to increase my weight to 120kg, but I compete in the 90kg category for world beach wrestling. Gaining and then reducing weight would be too challenging,” he explained.

Inam’s accolades also include golds in the 2016 India and 2019 Nepal South Asian Games and silvers at the 2016 Suntec and 2017 Johannesburg Commonwealth Wrestling Championships. As a former Rustam-e-Pakistan, he remains a respected figure in Pakistani wrestling.

International coaching ambitions

Beyond wrestling, Inam is pursuing the International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Programme (ICECP), having recently attended a key module in the United States. If he completes the course, he will become Pakistan’s second top-tier coach after Ghulam Farid to achieve this qualification.

Challenges for Pakistani wrestlers on the global stage

Despite his achievements, one notable gap in Inam’s career is the Olympics. He consistently attempted to qualify but fell short due to limited exposure to high-level Olympic wrestling. Financial constraints faced by the Pakistan Wrestling Federation further exacerbated the issue, leaving wrestlers underprepared for global competition.

In modern wrestling, world rankings play a pivotal role. Draws for major events often pit unranked wrestlers like Pakistanis against top-tier opponents in the early rounds, leading to early exits. To achieve better results on the international stage, Pakistan must invest heavily in wrestling to provide its athletes with the necessary exposure and resources.