AFP, Australia :
After failing to achieve any satisfactory results in swimming and weightlifting events, the Bangladeshi shooters will start their mission today (Sunday) in shooting in the ongoing Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a hope to win medal for the country.
Everyone will keep their eye on Belmont Shooting center when Bangladesh’s team shooters Rabbi Hasan Munna, Abdullah Hel Baki, Ardina Ferdous and Armin Asha will take to the field to achieve their target.
Munna and Baki will compete in the men’s 10m air rifles event while Ardina and Asha will vie in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation Secretary General Intekhabul Hamid Opu told BSS that the shooters are mentally refreshed with good preparation but he said they would have to go through tough competition against the shooters of India, England and Singapore, who also have good preparation.
Opu said they are taking India as their main rival because of India’s Olympic shooters who have come here to compete in the Games. As they represented in Olympics, so it will be tough for Bangladeshi shooters to compete with India, he added.
“Nevertheless we are also ready and have a good preparation and will be able to snatch medal for the country if we can perform in the right time on a right day,” said optimistic Opu.
Earlier, Atiqur Rahman and Abdus Sattar won gold medals for Bangladesh for the first time in the country’s history in the air pistol event in Auckland Commonwealth Games held in 1990. Maintaining consistency, famed shooter Asif Hossain won gold for Bangladesh in the air rifles event in the games held in Manchester United in 2002.
Besides, Bangladesh secured silver medal from team event in the Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne Australia in 2006 and bagged team event bronze medal in New Delhi, India in 2010.
Shooter Baki brought silver medal for the country in Glasgow Commonwealth Games held in 2014. This time expectations are high on him that he will bring medal for the country.
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) has announced lucrative cash prizes for the medal winners in the game.
Meanwhile, Mabia Akter Shimanto finished sixth among thirteen in the women’s 63kg weight category in the weightlifting event on Saturday.
