Bangladesh enjoyed a memorable day at the Asian Archery Championship in Dhaka, with archers Bannya Akter and Himu Bashar storming into the compound mixed event final. The duo’s progress ensures Bangladesh at least a silver medal, with their sights now firmly set on gold.
At the National Stadium today, the Bangladeshi pair stunned favourites South Korea 158–153 in the semi-final. The set scores were (37–39, 38–39, 39–40, 39–40), reflecting a consistently strong performance.
Earlier, Bangladesh began their campaign by defeating Bhutan 154–148 in the elimination round. In the quarter-final, they faced a nail-biting contest against Iran, finishing 154–154 before edging the tiebreak 19–18. That victory propelled them to the semi-final, where they once again impressed by defeating South Korea to reach the championship decider.
Tomorrow, Bangladesh will face arch-rivals India in the battle for gold.
| Stage | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination | Bhutan | 154–148 | Win |
| Quarter-final | Iran | 154–154 (Tiebreak 19–18) | Win |
| Semi-final | South Korea | 158–153 | Win |
| Final (Tomorrow) | India | — | Awaited |
After the semi-final victory, Himu Bashar said:
“Reaching the final means a lot to both of us. We’ve competed together in three or four international events before but never managed a medal. This is our first final, and we’re thrilled.”
Bannya Akter added:
“We didn’t perform particularly well earlier in the championship, but this time we’re determined to bring home a medal. I won silver in an individual event in Bhutan in 2024, and now we’re dreaming of gold for Bangladesh.”
With confidence running high, Team Bangladesh will look to end the championship on a golden note in tomorrow’s much-anticipated final against India.
