Gold medallist shooter Sadia no more

Sadia Sultana, a gold medallist shooter in both South Asian Games and Commonwealth Shooting Championship, passed away today in Chattogram. 

The 31-year-old shooter had been suffering from mental illness and was living with her parents at their home for a long time. She had previously survived a fire incident in 2017, getting severely burnt. 

Her body has been kept at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital, informed Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation's joint secretary Mushtaque Waiz.

"It's sad that such a promising career has been cut short," Mushtaque told The Daily Star, confirming the news of Sadia's death.

"She was mentally ill for long and did not have contact with anyone outside her family. The federation, though, and the shooters too had helped her with financial aid several times. We are all very sad to hear the news," the federation official added.

Sadia Sultana (L) with her teammates during the 2010 SA Games. Photo: Collected

Sadia had won gold medal in 10m air rifle team event in the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, partnering with Sharmin Akter Ratna.

The acclaimed shooting duo then went on to claim the gold medal in the same event of the Commonwealth Shooting Championship in new Delhi the same year. 

The shooter had taken a leave from the game after winning gold in the 2013 Bangladesh Games.