Bangladesh’s Alif earns gold in Asia Cup archery

In a landmark moment for Bangladesh archery, 19-year-old Abdur Rahman Alif claimed his first international medal by winning the recurve men's individual event at the Asia Cup Stage-2 in Singapore on Friday.

Alif, a 12th-grader at BKSP, edged out Japan's Miyata Gakuto by 6-4 set points in a tense final, becoming only the third Bangladeshi archer to win gold at the Asian level -- after Sajjad Hossain in 2009 and Ruman Sana in 2019.

His victory comes at a crucial time for the sport in Bangladesh, following the migration of top recurve archers -- Ruman and Abdul Hakim Rubel -- to the United States, which left a significant gap in the national squad.

Alif started strong in the final, winning the first two sets before Miyata rallied to level the score at 4-4. But the former national champion from Pabna held his nerve to win the fifth and final set, sealing the match and delivering a historic gold for his country.

This victory marks Alif's first international medal in an individual event. His success was not a fluke -- he had impressed throughout the tournament with consistent world-class performances, defeating top contenders such as Malaysia's Busthamin Muhammad Syafiq and Liu Tai-Yen of Chinese Taipei en route to the final.

Speaking after the medal ceremony, Alif said in a video message released by the Bangladesh Archery Federation: "It's a great feeling to hear the national anthem being played abroad because of my performance. This is my first international gold, and I dedicate it to the people of Bangladesh."

With the 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, Alif now has his sights set on the sport's biggest stage.

"My dream is to win a medal at the Olympics. I've been preparing with that goal in mind, supported by my coaches and federation officials," said Alif, who also called on the government and federation to increase international exposure for archers.

"Training facilities have been good, but we need more opportunities to compete internationally. It will help us improve our world ranking and qualify as a team for the Olympics," said Alif, who is set to sit for his HSC exams this year.