National Junior Athletics Championships kicked off on Friday, and the first day belonged to Kurigram's Shaon. Despite being a day labourer supporting his family, Shaon's dedication to athletics shone through as he clinched the gold medal in the 1500m race for the National Junior Youth Division, setting a new national record.
Shaon shattered the five-year-old record in the 1500m run at the Sheikh Kamal National Junior Athletics Competition held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. The young athlete from Kurigram clocked a remarkable time of 4 minutes 14.12 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 4 minutes 19.20 seconds set by Vijay Mallik of Narail in 2018.
The newly crowned record holder received a well-deserved financial reward of 10,000 taka from the athletics federation. Shaon intends to use this money to continue purchasing nutritious food for optimal performance.
Previously, Shaon participated in the 100m and 200m sprints. However, he opted for the 1500m race due to breathing difficulties encountered in the shorter distances.
The 38th Sheikh Kamal National Junior Athletics Competition witnessed a total of 392 athletes from 45 sports organisations competing in two divisions – boys/girls under-17 and boys/girls under-19. The opening day saw three new national records established. BKSP dominated the thrilling 100m events, securing victories in both the boys' and girls' categories. Shipon Miah emerged as the fastest male athlete, while Mim Akhter claimed the title for the fastest female athlete. Similarly, Delwar Hossain and Sumaiya Akhtar secured the fastest times in the under-19 boys' and girls' 100m races, respectively.
The day also witnessed new national records in the 1500m (youth) and Shot Put (girls) events. Shaon's exceptional performance in the 1500m race set a new national record of 4 minutes 14.12 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 4 minutes 19.20 seconds held by Narail's Vijay Mallick since 2018. Additionally, BKSP's Sharmin Akhter shattered the national record in the Shot Put (girls) event with a throw of 12.10 meters, surpassing the previous record of 10.42 meters set by Tahmina Akhter Lopa (also from BKSP) in 2016.
The opening ceremony of the National Junior Athletics Championships also saw the felicitation of two meritorious athletes. Zaheer Raihan, who secured a silver medal in the 400m race at the 11th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held in Tehran, Iran, received a cheque for 2 lakh taka from the federation. Similarly, Mahfuzur Rahman, who bagged a bronze medal in the high jump event at the same competition, was awarded 1 lakh taka. The event was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office Mohammad Salah Uddin, and the Special Guest, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Olympic Association Syed Shahed Reza. Federation Vice President Advocate Noor.
