Host Bangladesh not only won their first gold medal in the tournament, but also bagged a total of six golds - recurve men's singles and men's team events, compound women's singles and men's team events and recurve and compound mixed events - in the 3rd South Asian Archery Championship that concluded in Savar's BKSP Tuesday.
Ibrahim Sheikh Rezwan achieved the country's first gold medal in the men's recurve singles after beating compatriot Ruman Shana by 7-1 set points in Tuesday's final.
Bangladesh's top female performer in the last Asian Archery Championship, Roksana Akter, earned the home side their second gold in the compound women's singles, beating compatriot Sushmita Banik by 140-133 points in the gold-deciding match.
Partnering with Nasrin Akter, Ruman also won gold in the recurve mixed event after defeating Indian pair V Mohod and Himani by 5-1 set points while Asim Kumar Das and Bonna Akther took home gold in the compound mixed event, beating Kunderu and Esha of India by 153-148 points.
Asim, Abul Kashem Mamun and Ashiquzzaman Anay also won gold in the compound men's team event but had to toil hard to beat the Indian team by 226-225 points.
Bangladesh and India reached the final in each of the 10 gold-deciding encounters with the latter winning the other four golds in recurve women's singles and team events and men's compound singles and women's recurve team events. It appeared India didn't send their best squad as the majority of their players from the Asian Archery Championship are absent from the traveling contingent.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh never won any gold in the last two editions in 2006 and 2008. They won a solitary silver in the recurve men's team event and a bronze in the compound women's team event in the first edition in Dhaka while they won only one silver in the women's bamboo bow team event, along with seven bronzes in the last edition in India 10 years ago.
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