Bangladesh’s swimmers Samiul Islam Rafi and Any Akter may have returned empty-handed from the World Swimming Championships in Singapore, but signs of gradual progress were evident in their individual performances.
Both Rafi and Any took part in two events each, and notably improved their personal bests in the 100-metre events. Any clocked her career-best timing in the 100m freestyle earlier in the competition, while Rafi also registered a personal milestone in the 100m backstroke.
However, neither could replicate that form in their respective 50-metre races held on 2 August. Any took part in the women’s 50m freestyle, finishing 92nd out of 104 swimmers with a time of 31.39 seconds slightly slower than her previous best of 31.05.
Rafi, competing in the men’s 50m backstroke, finished 55th out of 63 competitors, clocking 27.21 seconds. His personal best in the event remains 26.90 seconds.
Although Bangladesh is yet to win a medal at the World Championships, national coaches are viewing the steady improvement in timings as a positive indicator for the future. Still, the gap between Bangladesh’s best and even other South Asian swimmers highlights how much ground remains to be covered in terms of regional competitiveness.