Bangladesh concluded the South Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship in Shimla, India, as runners-up, finishing a four-day tournament with one gold, one silver, and six bronze medals — a strong if not entirely satisfying haul for a squad that came close to adding more silverware on the final day.
India dominated the competition from start to finish, claiming the overall title with 13 gold and four silver medals. Sri Lanka finished third with 14 medals, Nepal fourth with ten, and the Maldives fifth with seven. Bangladesh’s previous edition in India in 2023 had yielded nine medals in total, making this a comparable but slightly leaner return.
The final day brought Bangladesh agonisingly close to a second gold. In the boys’ under-19 doubles, Nafiz Iqbal and Abul Hasem Hasib pushed India’s Rajashekharan and Senthil hard before falling 3-1 in sets, settling for silver in a match that could have gone either way.
The standout performer across the entire tournament was under-19 top-ranked player Abul Hasem Hasib, who returned home with three medals — gold from the team event, silver in the doubles, and bronze in the mixed doubles. Nafiz Iqbal was similarly impressive, contributing to both the team gold and the doubles silver. Joy Islam and Tahmidur Rahman Sakib also played key roles in the team gold victory.
In the under-15 boys’ category, Midul Rahman was the pick of the performers with three bronze medals across the team, doubles, and mixed doubles events. Shahin Ahmed added two bronzes, while Tamzidur Rahman Parash contributed one in the team event.
The girls’ contingent also made their mark. Khoi Khoi Sai Marma won two bronzes in doubles and mixed doubles, Reshmi Tainchongga added one in doubles, Roja Islam claimed two bronzes, and Rafia Chowdhury secured one in doubles.
One notable gap in Bangladesh’s medal tally was the singles category. All eight medals came from team, doubles, and mixed doubles events, with four players exiting in the quarter-finals on the final day without adding to the count. It is an area the federation will need to address if Bangladesh are to challenge India and Sri Lanka more comprehensively in future editions.
Of the 15-member squad, 14 were current or former students of the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan. The only exception was Jannatul Roza, representing the Rangpur District Sports Association.
Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation general secretary Captain Maksud Ahmed acknowledged the mixed picture. He said the boys’ performances met expectations, but felt the girls’ team fell short of what was possible. He also suggested that earlier acclimatisation to the conditions in Shimla could have made a meaningful difference to the overall medal count.
