(CNN) -- Chingaiz Khan was an unknown quantity when he arrived for a junior weightlifting tournament in South Waziristan nine years ago. Chaotic and intensely religious, the Pakistani region is known by locals as "the most dangerous place in the world." The 12-year-old Chingaiz, with his short, jet-black hair and smooth, unblemished skin, looked younger than the other boys. But, despite it being his first ever tournament, he was still stronger than everyone else. For his father Shams-Ul Wazir, a local college lecturer, the decision to register his son for the tournament paid off handsomely. Chingaiz was crowned the junior boys' weightlifting champion, the first step on a journey that would take him into the world of professional sport.
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Maria Toor Pakay is Pakistan's No. 1 squash player despite difficult circumstances
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Pakay fled her native Waziristan after threats from the Taliban, moving to Canada
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Her father was warned that she was in danger for embarrassing the region's culture and religion
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Former squash star Jonathan Power is training her to become a world champion
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