Bangladesh earned two additional medals on the final night of the SAFF Athletics Championship in Ranchi, claiming bronze in both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay events.
In the men’s relay, the quartet of Masud Rana, Tarek, Nazimul Hossain Rony and Lusad Islam clocked 3 minutes 15 seconds to finish third. Sri Lanka clinched gold with a time of 3:05.12. Earlier in the day, Rony narrowly missed out on a medal in the 400m hurdles despite matching India’s Karna Beg with a timing of 51.06 seconds, eventually losing bronze by a photo finish. His relay success later in the evening offered some redemption.
In the women’s 4x400m relay, the team of Sharifa Khatun, Barsha Khatun, Sumaiya Dewan and Nusrat Jahan Runa also took bronze, completing the race in 3 minutes 55.63 seconds. Bangladesh’s fastest sprinter, Shirin Akter, did not feature in the event.
The two bronzes took Bangladesh’s overall tally at the meet to three, following the men’s 4x100m relay team’s podium finish a day earlier. Once a dominant sprinting nation in South Asia, Bangladesh now appear to find their rhythm again through the teamwork of their relay squads.
