Anisur Rahman

“I had nearly confirmed my championship win with two rounds in hand and was really happy about it. But now I am shocked and can’t find the words to express my emotions after the death of my beloved Zia sir,” Neer told The Daily Star yesterday.

Archer Sagor Islam, at just 18 years old, has made history as the youngest athlete from his country to earn a direct spot in the Olympic Games, following in the footsteps of golfer Siddiqur Rahman and archer Ruman Sana who achieved the same in previous editions. Overcoming poverty with unwavering support from his widowed mother, BKSP, and the Bangladesh Archery Federation, Sagor, a high school student in the 11th grade, has reached this milestone. While he has not yet won an individual event medal in either domestic or international competitions, Sagor surprised many by securing a direct Olympic entry and even clinching a silver medal in last month's Final Olympic Quota tournament. The lad from Rajshahi discussed his career, passion for archery, and future aspirations with The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman in an exclusive interview, the excerpts of which are as follows:

Under the giant steel roof at the Sheikh Russel Roller Skating Stadium in Paltan, adorned with shining banners featuring a smiling photo of archer Sagor Islam raising his index finger triumphantly, the 18-year-old archer looked radiant alongside his mother during a warm reception yesterday.

The 11th-grade BKSP student spoke to Anisur Rahman of The Daily Star after the team’s arrival from Singapore.

Sabina spoke about the experience of the two Chinese Taipei ties as well as the upcoming SAFF Women's Championship.

"I think if the federation takes an initiative to hold a franchise tournament like the India’s Pro Kabaddi League, then the new generation will be encouraged to take up kabaddi."

Mohammedan Sporting Club finished the season as runners-up in the Bangladesh Premier League for the first time in 14 years after finishing runners-up in two club competitions. Alfaz Ahmed, the man behind the resurgence of the Motijheel outfit, spoke with The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman about the process of rebuilding Mohammedan and many other aspects.

In post-independent Bangladesh, there was a deliberate effort to kick-start women’s hockey, much before women’s cricket or football was a thing in this part of the world.

Mosammat Sagorika of Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan College SC, who finished runners-up in the UCB Bangladesh Women’s Football League on Tuesday, finished as the second highest scorer with 15 goals. The 17-year-old, who had made headlines during February’s SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship by emerging as the top-scorer and the best player, talked to The Daily Star’s Anisur Rahman regarding her experience in the league.

Jahid first-ever goal in top flight became a memorable one.

Among 168 teams, Firoz Kamal Football Academy of Brahmanbaria emerged champions in the recently-introduced and FIFA-financed BFF Academy Cup. Despite being the chairman of the academy, advocate Mosarrof Hossain acted as the manager of the team during the tournament. The lawyer talked to The Daily Star’s Anisur Rahman to share the academy’s experience, limitations, prospects and other issues.

Poor technique and insufficient knowledge of footballers have often been blamed for poor results of the national team over the years. At times, even foreign coaches seemed bothered to have been working with such footballers.

Mohammedan now await either Abahani or Kings in the Federation Cup final.

Dhaka Wanderers Club, a forgotten name in the country’s football despite a glorious past, returned to top-flight football after 19 years following their runners-up finish in the Bangladesh Championship League, thanks to a goalless draw against BFF Elite Football Academy in their last match at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur yesterday.

Players featuring in the ongoing Premier Division Hockey League are set to experience a different kind of Eid this time around, with many having to celebrate the joyous occasion away from their kin and others having a shortened holiday period.

The Bangladesh captain shared his Eid experience in Copenhagen.

The return of the Premier Division Hockey League, especially after a 27-month hiatus, might have provided some relief to the players and the officials, but the gulf of difference between the minnows and giants this season has raised eyebrows, while exposing the overall state of how the clubs are generally being run.

Having spent five years, Fahad finally achieved one of three GM norms yesterday.

Not that long ago, there used to be a dogfight among a number of teams for medals in the national and summer athletics championships.

A former member of the force which provides security for the Prime Minister and the President, Sarwar had a couple of pauses in his athletic pursuits. But he keeps coming back to track and field, which helped him clear 14.89 metres in the shot put event and eclipse the previous record set by Mohammad Ibrahim in 2019 by 0.36 metres.