Martial arts is one of the most gruelling sports where the athletes require tremendous physical and mental strength. Muhammad Rashid Naseem fits the criteria—through and through—as he is truly a one-of-a-kind athlete.
The martial arts expert from Karachi, Pakistan, holds over 62 records, but still he doesn’t want to stop at just one. Muhammad Rashid’s currently working towards a slightly more ambitious goal.
In an exclusive interview with M.M News, Rashid Naseem explained how martial arts is not everyone’s forte and what he still wants to accomplish.
MM News: How many records you and your academy have set so far?
Rashid Naseem: My academy holds almost 82 Guinness world records in different forms, while I had registered 20 world records in 2020. Later, I broke 6 records in 2021 and so far 2 records have been approved and the remaining have gone for approval.
MM News: What titles you have received so far?
Rashid Naseem: I have received titles of Man of Steel, Power House of Pakistan and Nintendo while Guinness Book has given me the title of Bruce Lee of Pakistan.
MM News: How easy is it to set a world record?
Rashid Naseem: It’s not like we set these records in just a single attempt. There is a whole lot of effort and practice behind this. We face many hurdles and suffer injuries. A martial artist is not supposed to get scared of them and when it comes to making your country proud, then it is of the least bother.”
MM News: Any record so far that has been very difficult?
Rashid Naseem: We often choose records that are very difficult to do, such as the double nunchaku strikes. For which I trained for a year but I wasn’t able to pass 480 or 485 but I kept working hard and thank God I broke that record.
MM News: How was your match against the Indian athlete?
Rashid Naseem: When you compete against your rival, you have to prepare mentally also. I gave my 200 percent against the Indian athlete and defeated him and made Pakistan proud.
MM News: How much support did the government give after many successes?
Rashid Naseem: We are facing sponsorship problems at the moment but there are no issues when it comes to our domain. However, I am still surprised that despite breaking several world records, the government hasn’t recognized me yet.
MM News: Any advice for young people?
Rashid Naseem: People often say that children should be made to learn from the age of four or five but I personally believe that it should begin at the age of seven. If you belong to any field, just don’t give up, you can make your country proud by hard work.
