Bangladesh News

Mahfuzur Rahman Mithu sprinted to glory, giving Bangladesh their first athletics gold medal in the South Asian Games in eleven years when the hurdler became the 110m hurdles champion in the tenth edition of the regional Games here yesterday.

Mahbub Alam won the last gold for Bangladesh at the tracks, in 1995 at Madras when he won the men’s 200m. Bangladesh male athletes returned with empty hands from the Islamabad meet two years ago but there was no doubt over who was going to win after the Noakhali-born hurdler raced a metre clear of the pack at Lane 5 at the Sugathadasa National Stadium.

The 21-year-old Bangladesh national champion, who took 14.10 seconds (hand timing) to win the national championship, steamed home with a personal best of 14.19 seconds, leaving the two Pakistani contenders in woes. Pakistan had won both gold and silver in Islamabad but previous champion Abdul Rashid settled for bronze while his young teammate Muhammad Sazzad claimed silver in 14.26 seconds.

Pakistan’s Ghulam Abbas still holds the Games record in 14.11 seconds, set in 1989 in Islamabad.

Having failed to win a single medal on Thursday, Mahfuz boasted Bangladesh’s last chance to win gold in the ongoing Games.

The 6′1” tall Air Force Corporal, participating in his first international meet, had a superb start and left his rivals for dead over the opening 40 metres. The Pakistanis pressed hard in the final metres but Mahfuz went on to give final touch to the race and silence the home crowd. Indian hurdler R Mathew finished fifth while the two Sri Lankans brought the rear.

Although Mahuz tumbled down on the track after his triumph, he suddenly became puzzled. However, the confirmation of victory came from coach Kitab Ali to spark celebrations among the Bangladeshi athletes eagerly waiting to see their star shine.

A small national flag was found and Mahfuz started running with it before embracing his coach, both showing tears of joy.

“I had faith in this boy. He has done me proud. Our target was to finish the race in at least 14.28 seconds but that would have not won him gold. He has done better and I give him full credit,” the emotionally drowned coach Kitab Ali told reporters after the victory.

Mahfuz, who showed no nerves in spite of high expectation of his colleagues, told after the race that he was proud to become the first athlete to win a hurdles gold for the nation.

“My preparation was satisfactory and like my coach, I was confident about my timing at home although it was clocked manually. The only doubt I had was because I never got the chance to know my actual electronic timing before this meet,” said the only brother of five sisters and the youngest son of a retired farmer from the village of Anantapur, Begumganj.

“Naturally, I was a bit tensed because it was my first exposure to an international meet. The Pakistani duo was good but I concentrated hard since my arrival in Colombo.

“We need more facilities and exposure if we have to improve our performance in future,” said Mahfuz, a trainee at the Bangladesh Air Force for just six months.

“I haven’t talked to anyone at home to concentrate on this race. Now I am free and want to call home to share the joy. I tried my best to get accustomed to the condition. It was not difficult.

“I remember my family and my first coach Rafiqullah Akhter Milon in Noakhali at this moment. And of course my present coach Kitab sir, who has trained me with care. And my sister Roksna Yasmin Fahima too, who being an athlete, inspired me to join the track,” said Mahfuz whose model is China’s ace hurdler Liu Xiang.

It was Bangladesh’s second gold medal at the 10th South Asian Games after Shahjahan Ali Rony won the men’s 50m breaststroke event on Wednesday.

Aside from Mahfuz’s heroics, Sumita Rani Das and Fouzia Huda Jui won silver medals for Bangladesh in women’s 100m hurdles and long jump.