ked at a local Bata factory. He started competing in wrestling at events held during local festivals. He was successful at local events and was noticed by a coach who had him compete against wrestlers in Lahore. After performing well there, he was selected to compete for Pakistan internationally. Mohammad represented Pakistan at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila, Philippines. Participating in the flyweight category, he defeated opponents from India and Japan, including the well-known flyweight Yushu Kitano, en route to winning the gold medal. His gold medal was the first-ever for Pakistan at an international event, and the Daily Times described it as a "major moment for the country on the international stage". Mohammad later recalled that at the medal ceremony, the organizers did not have either the flag or national anthem of Pakistan, and thus said that they would use the Indian flag and anthem for his gold medal. He refused the idea and later received his medal at the embassy. Mohammad celebrated his victory with an elephant ride in the streets of Lahore, but was eventually "left ... on the road to come reach his home without having any money in his pocket". He was offered gold medals by the Pakistani authorities for his accomplishments, but instead asked to be given land, an arrangement that was agreed upon but never occurred. Mohammad also competed at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver and won the bronze medal in his event. He competed at several other international events, winning a tourna