Muhammad Iqbal (athlete)
Pakistani hammer thrower (1927–1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Muhammad Iqbal or Subedar Muhammad Iqbal (12 July 1927 - March 1996) was a Pakistani hammer thrower who competed at the 1952, 1956, and 1960 Summer Olympics.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Pakistani | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 July 1927[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | March 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 97 kg (214 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Hammer throw | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Muhammad Iqbal | |
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| Awards | Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan in 1959 |
Iqbal is regarded as one of the most renowned hammer thrower in South Asia’s history. He remains the only South Asian hammer thrower to have won a gold medal at both the Commonwealth Games (Vancouver 1954) and the Asian Games (Tokyo 1958).[2] He was also the flag bearer for Pakistan at the 1960 Rome Olympics.[3][4]
Biography
Muhammad Iqbal was born on 12 July 1927 at Murid, Sindh, British India.[1] Like many Pakistani athletes in the country's early years, Iqbal was an employee in the Pakistan Army. He also participated in the World Military Games.[2]
Iqbal won the silver medal at the 1954 Asian Games held in Manila. At the 1958 Asian Games, in Tokyo, his gold-medal-winning throw of 60.96 meters was an Asian Games record.[2]
Iqbal qualified for the finals in both the 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympics, where he finished 11th and 12th respectively.[2]
At the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Iqbal secured the bronze medal.[2]
Iqbal also participated in four consecutive Commonwealth Games. In the 1954 edition, he won the gold at Vancouver, followed by a silver at Cardiff in 1958. He missed out on a medal in 1962 but secured another bronze at Kingston in 1966 at the age of 39.[2]
Iqbal finished runner-up three times behind Mike Ellis at the British AAA Championships in 1958, 1959 and 1960.[5][6][7]
Muhammad Iqbal received a Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan in 1959.[8]
