Apathy crushes bodybuilding champ

First Pakistani to win the Musclemania title has to choose between his title and nation

Last year, in Las Vegas, Salman Ahmed was alone in the crowd when he became the first Pakistani to win the world bodybuilding title in the lightweight category of Musclemania, the premier natural bodybuilding contest. He had no entourage of managers, coaches or promoters like his fellow competitors.

Now, the 25-year-old is back in cricket-obsessed Pakistan and faces a choice: career or country. There is no financial support from the government. Potential sponsors are skittish because Pakistan poses security issues.