The 17th National Summer Athletics Championships concluded on Sunday, 24 August, with the 200-metre sprint providing the biggest drama of the meet. Pre-race favourites Imranur Rahman and Shirin Akter failed to deliver, allowing newcomers Tarek Rahman and Sharifa Khatun to seize the spotlight with their first national titles in this event.
For the women’s race, the contest mirrored the thrilling 100 metres earlier in the competition. Army sprinter Sharifa edged out Navy’s Shirin by just 0.03 seconds in a photo finish, clocking 25.24 seconds to Shirin’s 25.27. Mim Akter of BKSP secured third place with 25.87.
Sharifa, from Khulna and primarily a 400-metre runner, admitted she had not expected to win the 200: “There was always a wait to see whether it would be Shirin apa or Sumaiya who became champion. When Sumaiya won the 100, I felt confident I could beat Shirin apa too. I’ve played many national championships, often finishing second or third, but never first in the 200. It feels great to finally do it.”
She explained she missed the 400 metres this year due to injury but now plans to focus on the shorter distance as well.
Shirin, who had dominated both sprint events in recent years, finished slower than her February championship time of 24.74 seconds. After the race she was visibly in pain and attended to by Navy staff.
In the men’s 200 metres, England-based sprinter Imranur made a fast start but veered off the track after 50 metres. Army’s Tarek Rahman then ran virtually unchallenged, finishing in 22.04 seconds to claim gold.
Despite Imranur’s presence, Tarek said he always believed in his chances: “Imran bhai’s stepping is very good. I tried to push hard on the curve. Even if he had finished, I would have competed with him. I had the confidence to become champion.”
The 200 metres is usually dominated by Navy’s Zahir Raihan, but he did not compete this year. Tarek, from Dinajpur, credited his success to long-term training in the Army and the support of Sergeant Azhar and chief coach Farid: “I’m not a typical athlete. I only came into athletics after joining the Army. Competing in different sports there eventually led me to sprinting. My goal now is to perform well internationally.”