Talib lifted a total of 304kg weigh in qualifiers in China. He competed in the 67kg category and beat a tough opponent in India’s Jeremy Lalrinnunga in a poll of 10 weightlifters in Group B.
Talib notched up 140kg in snatch, with his best from the second attempt out of three, and 164kg from his second attempt in clean and jerk out of three, as he went on to accumulated 304 kg.
Lalrinnunga remained second with a total weightlift of 297kg despite being the most successful weightlifter in the South Asian region.
Pakistan Weightlifting Federation official Rashed Malik commended Talha for topping the group and winning the bronze medal saying that he had definitely made his mark as one of the top weightlifters in the region.
"With these lifts Talha has created a new national record in clean and jerk, while beating Lalrinnunga is also something big because Talha had fallen behind him at the South Asian level,” Malik told Express Tribune.
“We have never had a weightlifter top the group in qualification rounds, this is a first. This is only bringing in hope for us,” Malik added.
In Montreal Olympics qualifiers in 1976, Muhammad Manzoor finished third but did not proceed to final rounds.