Nasima adopts Urmi’s mantra to dethrone her

Bangladesh's top two female shuttlers -- Urmi Akhter and Nasima Khatun -- have long been teammates, representing the Bangladesh Army. Both learned the sport in Pabna, yet over the years, a quiet rivalry has developed between them, especially in the finals of national and summer badminton championships.

Until recently, Urmi had dominated this rivalry, winning three consecutive finals -- the National Badminton Championships in 2022 and 2023, and the Summer Ranking Championship in 2024. But this time in the 39th National Badminton Championship, it was Nasima who came out on top, ending Urmi's streak and claiming her maiden women's singles title.

Interestingly, Nasima adopted the very strategy Urmi had successfully used against her in the past three finals. The shift in approach proved decisive.

"I suffered defeats to Urmi in three straight finals, but this time I was confident and well-prepared to dethrone her," Nasima told The Daily Star yesterday. "I'm really happy that all my hard work finally paid off."

"Previously, I lost because of wrong decisions and losing my temper, unlike Urmi, who always stayed calm and composed. This time, even after losing the first game, I kept my cool, and I think that was the key to my victory," said the 19-year-old shuttler. She also credited her improved fitness and a focused training regimen under senior teammate Tanvier Morsalin for the turnaround.

Although Urmi hails from Khulna and Nasima from Pabna, both were groomed in Pabna during their early years. Interestingly, they never faced each other in local competitions during their youth but are now showcasing their talent on the national stage.

Nasima began playing badminton in 2018, when she was in Grade 7. Her physical education teacher, Rashida Parvin, introduced her to a talent hunt programme run by the National Sports Council. Selected for a one-month training camp, she went on to participate in her first youth championship in 2019.

"I was always involved in sports at the school level, and my love for it led me to attend the badminton trial," said Nasima, who is now a 12th-grade student at the Open University in Bogura. "There was no restriction from my family, although my mother was sometimes against it. But my expatriate father supported me a lot and provided the expensive gear I needed."

Since 2019, Nasima has represented Bangladesh at both junior and senior international levels. However, she has never had the opportunity to train under a foreign coach -- something she believes is holding back her development.

"Players abroad train year-round under foreign coaches. We don't have that kind of long-term training here," she said. "I haven't worked with a foreign coach since I started competing internationally. If we want to perform better on the global stage, we must have access to such training."

Nasima hopes that the newly formed badminton committee will take steps to address these issues by appointing foreign coaches and organising more domestic competitions to enhance players' exposure and experience.