“New gears against second-hand show the difference”

Bangladesh’s much-anticipated archery campaign at the 20th Asian Games ended empty-handed, with hostile weather, illness and equipment shortages derailing the country’s biggest medal hope.

Speaking to Daily Sun from Japan, Bangladesh Archery Federation (BAF) general secretary Tanvir Ahmed blamed several factors for the disappointing campaign.

“There are many reasons behind this failure,” Tanvir said on Tuesday. “First, there was massive mental pressure upon arrival, followed by hostile weather. Our archers actually shot very close to their usual scores, but luck did not favour us.”

Equipment shortages were another setback.

“We asked the Olympic committee for new arrows worth around TK40 to TK41 lakh, but they could not support us,” he said. “When you shoot with second-hand equipment against rivals using brand-new gear, a difference will always show on the scoreboard.”

A flu outbreak then swept through the camp, affecting several archers and the coach.

“Many of us fell sick. One girl was in such a serious condition with the flu that she had to be kept in an isolated room,” Tanvir said. “Other team members had fevers, and the coach himself is still suffering from a fever. Archery is a mental game. If your body, mind and mood are not well, giving your best is incredibly difficult.”

Hotel problems added to the disruption.

“After waiting for 10 long hours, finding four rooms instead of seven will naturally make anyone lose their temper,” the BAF GS told Daily Sun.

Tanvir, however, praised 14-year-old Saima Salahuddin for beating eighth-ranked Philippine opponent, but criticised the senior archers.

“It is not that we cannot beat them; our girls even beat Japan here. But several of our senior archers who have been around for a long time simply did not deliver what we expected,” the general secretary concluded.

Touted by the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) as the top medal prospect among Bangladesh’s 22 disciplines, the archers failed to reach a single individual quarter-final and crashed out of all six team events.

The most racking exit came in the men’s compound team event, drawing 232-232 with Iran in regulation time and 30-30 in the shoot-off, only to lose on inner-ring measurements.

The women’s recurve team beat hosts Japan 5-4 before losing 5-3 to Indonesia, while Ram Krishna Saha and Himu Bachhar suffered early individual exits.