On the athletics track of the Dhaka National Stadium, two men from Pakistan stroll, their bows resting after a day of competition. They are not full-time athletes. Their primary workplace is not a gym or a training ground, but the vast, sun-baked wheat and rice fields of Punjab.
Aman Ullah and Asif Mahmood, one of them a farmer from Multan, the other from Faisalabad, are in Dhaka for the 24th Asian Archery Championships. For them, this trip is more than a competition; it is a step on an unlikely journey from their rural lives to the international sports stage.
“We are farmers from Punjab,” Aman explains, his hands telling a story of labour far removed from the precision of archery. “We work on the farm. We have land for rice, wheat, corn, and sugarcane. We work in the fields most of the time, and we practice archery in between.”
Their path to this point is a testament to pure passion. Asif only picked up a bow three years ago after watching the sport online. Aman, with five years of experience, was drawn to the discipline for a deeper reason. “It is the Sunnah of our Prophet,” he says. “We are Muslim. I also play for that reason.”
In Pakistan, a nation obsessed with cricket and hockey, archery struggles for recognition. Aman estimates only about 500 people practice the sport regularly. He places the blame for its stagnant growth squarely on the authorities. “Our federation never thinks about developing archery,” he states. “You can understand our situation by looking at our condition.”
Their performance in Dhaka’s men’s recurve event reflected the challenges they face. In a field of 62, Aman finished 53rd with a score of 588, while Asif placed 57th with 579. Asif revealed that their preparation was far from ideal, with the team arriving after a training camp of just 50 days.
Yet, the scoreboard does little to dim their spirits or their ambition. Despite the lack of support and their late start, both men share a single, burning goal.
“One day we will win gold at the Olympics,” Aman declares, his voice steady with conviction. “That is our dream. We will try for it. If the Pakistani federation supports us and our coach believes in us, then, God willing, we will one day bring a medal from the Olympics.”
Asif, buoyed by the warm reception in Dhaka, which he says feels “just like Karachi,” echoes the sentiment with a smile. “Maybe I didn’t do well this time. Next time, I will win the gold.”
For Aman Ullah and Asif Mahmood, the archery range offers a rare escape from the fields. They may return to their crops, but their gaze is fixed on a distant target. In a cricket-mad country, they have chosen a different path, proving that no matter how small the stage, the sky for a dream is always vast. One day, they hope, their arrows will fly straight and true, landing right in the gold of an Olympic bullseye.
