Shooter Yousuf Ali proved the biggest surprise on the second day of the Bangabandhu 9th Bangladesh Games as the unheralded shooter from Bangladesh Army struck gold in the 10m air rifle event at Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation Complex in Gulshan yesterday.
Yousuf, who entered to the final round as the fifth qualifier in his first-ever 10m air rifle competition, beat the experienced Risalatul Islam by scoring 254.4 while Risalatul made 254.1, leaving Commonwealth Games double-silver medallist Abdullah Hel Baki (222.8) satisfied with a bronze medal.
“I switched to the 10m air rifle event just three months ago because my coach Jalal Uddin brought me into this event from the 50m three position and prone events,” said 28-year-old Yousuf, who started his journey in shooting in December 2014, seven years after his enrolment in the Bangladesh Army.
“I never thought that I would win the gold but I had confidence of fighting against Baki and Shovon Chowdhury after competing against them in the 50m three position event,” Yousuf said. “I always thought of putting up good performances although I faced some problems with my oldest model air gun during the competition.”
In the 10m men’s junior event, Arnab Sharar Ladif of Bangladesh Navy grabbed gold while Tamjid Bin Alam and Sakibul Alam of Bangladesh Army won silver and bronze respectively.
Amira Hamid of Gulshan Shooting Club grabbed gold medal in women’s 50m prone event while Mayeda Mumtahina and Toufika Sultana Rojoni of Bangladesh Army won silver and bronze medals respectively.
Unstoppable Thuiyenu scores 10 in 17-0 win: Thuiyenu Marma slotted 10 goals to power Bangladesh Ansar & VDP to an overwhelming 17-0 win over Khulna District in the women’s football event at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium yesterday.
The triumph ensured a semifinal berth for Ansar & VDP as group A runners-up, while Rajshahi became that group’s champions.
“Thuiyenu had been in the BFF Women’s U-14 camp for two months in Jashore before the coronavirus forced the camp to be suspended. She is a genuine striker who was picked from JFA Cup in 2018,” said national women’s team coach Golam Rabbani Choton.
Wrestler Billal concludes 15-years of success with gold: Unparalleled wrestler Billal Hossain of BGB ended a long 15-year career yesterday, adding another feather to his crown when he won gold in 120kg category at Sheikh Russel Roller Skating Complex.
Billal, who announced his retirement ahead of the Games, won gold in the last 11 national wrestling championships since 2004.
Farid narrowly wins marathon gold: With the Bangabandhu National Stadium being cleaned up following the opening ceremony on Thursday, the athletics events got underway at the Army Stadium in Banani with Army-man Farid Mia grabbing the first gold medal in athletics in a never-wracking marathon. Farid took 2:46:38 hours, just two seconds less than his teammate Firoz Khan, who won silver.
Later at the BNS, national record holder Ritu Akter and former national holder Umme Hafsa Rumki tied in the high Jump after both cleared 1.71 meters before holder Ritu was declared the gold winner.
Rakibul’s surprise in cycling: Cyclist Rakibul Islam of Chattogram DSA surprised all and sundry to win a gold medal in Individual Road Time Trial while the silver and bronze went to Adnan Rahman of Dinajpur and Ripon Biswas of BGB respectively.