Hyderabad: Hailing from Telangana's Begumpet, Syed Mahaboob Ali always dreamt of making a career in the sports industry. With his father an international racer, his brother a volleyball player, elder sister a national boxer, and his younger sister a national kabaddi player, Syed grew up in a family of sportspersons.
His own foray into sports began with hockey as he went on to be a part of the Indian Junior Men's Hockey Team camp in 2004. But during a training session, Syed suffered an injury and damaged 75 percent of his ACL ligament, which led to the end of his hockey career. He was advised to take six months of bed rest and ligament transplantation.
"I became really depressed at the time. My father advised me to never give up. I started researching ligaments and learned as much as I can about the ACL injuries. I decided to dedicate myself to body-building and started shifting my focus on that," Syed recalled.
Syed's hardwork into bodybuilding worked and he went on to become the youngest Indian to become Mr. India, at the age of 17, in 2004. He continued to grow in the arena and went on to become an eight-time Mr. India. "I found a new passion in life and completely dedicated myself to the world of bodybuilding. It helped me get the focus back in my life and pursue my passion for sport," he recalled.
After 2012, Syed moved away from bodybuilding and decided to run a business in the health and fitness sector. A few years later, a chance meeting with Indian Arm-Wrestling Federation President Hashim Reza Zabeth provided him another path for his career.
"After the meeting, I was reminded of my childhood memories when I would compete in arm wrestling matches with my father. He would always defeat me, but later in life, I started winning against him as well," Syed said. On being advised by Hashim, Syed decided to get in touch with Indian Arm Wrestling Coach Mustafa Ali in 2017-18, and his journey with the sport began. "From then onwards, my journey in professional arm-wrestling kicked off. I dedicated myself to the sport, and in a short time of five years, I went on to win the National Gold medal in 2022," he said.
Syed decided to associate himself with the Pro Panja League and competed in the Ranking Tournament which took place in Gwalior in July 2022. He reached the fifth round at the Pro Panja League Ranking Tournament 2022, but despite reaching the final, he managed to garner attention for his strength.
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"The competition in Pro Panja Ranking Tournament is that of international level. If the Pro Panja League continues to run at the level which it has been running right now, it can help in setting up the lives and careers of Indian arm wrestlers in the country," Syed said.
"I am glad that despite the disappointments in life, I am able to compete in a sport even at this age. Arm-wrestling has given me another purpose and I wish to continue this career for years to come," he signed off.
