Bangladesh Secures First Medal at Asian Games

Bangladesh has finally secured a medal at the Asian Games. Jinnat Akter put Bangladesh on the medal table on Tuesday by reaching the semifinals of the 52kg fight event in wushu.

At the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, boxer Mosharraf Hossain won a bronze medal for Bangladesh in an individual event. It remained the country’s only achievement in an individual event at Asia’s biggest sporting event. After a 40-year wait, Jinnat has now joined Mosharraf in the record books.

Jinnat advanced to the semifinals after her Indonesian opponent, Tharisa De Florentina, was disqualified for being overweight in the quarterfinals held at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall. Earlier, Jinnat received a bye in the preliminary round to secure a place in the quarterfinals.

According to the Games’ rules, when more than eight athletes compete in an event, all four semifinalists are guaranteed medals. As 16 athletes are competing in Jinnat’s weight category, Bangladesh is assured of at least a bronze medal after her qualification for the semifinals. Bangladesh Wushu Association General Secretary Dildar Hossain Dilu confirmed the information.

Dilu added that if Jinnat wins her semifinal, Bangladesh will enter the gold-medal contest. Even if she loses the semifinal, she will still secure a bronze medal in the event.

Jinnat, a wushu athlete of the Bangladesh Army, will face China’s Di Wu in the semifinal on Wednesday.

After learning that she had secured an international medal for Bangladesh in an individual event after 40 years, Jinnat said, “I am very happy to have done something for my country. I seek everyone’s prayers. I hope to take wushu in Bangladesh much further.”