UNB, Guwahati :
Swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila, who came in the limelight by winning two gold medals in the ongoing 12th South Asian Games, wants to compete in the ensuing Olympic Games in Rio (Brazil) this year.
Taking to UNB at the Dr Zakir Hussain Aquatic Complex in Guwahati on Wednesday, Mahfuza expressed her keen interest to represent Bangladesh in the ensuing Olympic Games.
“I had been working hard for the last three months under Korean coach (Taegun Park), and I’m very happy to clinch gold medals for the country, now my only dream is to compete in the ensuing Olympic Games,” said the Jessore girl.
Mahfuza, the lone female swimmer of the country who won gold medals in a South Asian Games, clinched 100-metre gold with a timing of 1:17.86 and won the 50-metre breaststroke gold with SA Games record with the timing of 34.88 seconds.
Mahfuza, a journalism postgraduate from Chittagong University, alleged that she was deprived of participating in many international events despite her good performance due to conspiracy by some federation officials.
“I fell victim to conspiracies several times, especially in the FINA talent programme in Thailand. Despite good results, I couldn’t participate in the event due to conspiracy by some federation officials, except its general secretary),” she said.
The swimmer went on saying, “Now I do hope there will be no discrimination and politics in the federation and nobody will face such situation in the future.”
Mahfuza performed gradually better in her favorite events–100 and 50 meter breaststroke by winning two the bronze medals in the Colombo SA Games in 2006 and earned two silver medals in the Dhaka SA Games in 2010.
For better results in the future, Mahfuza seeks the continuation of the job of the present Korean coach for a longer time and introduction of food and nutrition services for the national swimmers.
Mahfuza who hails from Panchkabor village in Abhaynagar upazila, Jessore started competitive swimming in 1999 through a Shisu Academy swimming competition in Jessore. She won the first gold medal in 100- metre breaststroke in national age group swimming in Dhaka in 2002.
Later, she was selected in BKSP talent hunt programme in 2002 and got admission to BKSP in the same year as a regular student.
She also recalled her ha do-do player father, mother, coach Abdul Mannan and local businessman Rezaul Biswas’ inspirations to become a swimmer.
