Ruman Sana and Diya Siddique, one of the country's top archers, recently left for the USA in pursuit of "a better future".

The married couple's decision was reportedly influenced by the earlier migration of two fellow archers, Hakim Ahmed Rubel and Ashim Kumar, to USA. 

"We left the country for the USA on December 29, hoping for a better future," Ruman told The Daily Star over the phone from New Jersey yesterday, further informing they travelled on five-year visas obtained in 2021 had been planning this move for several months.

Ruman is the country's first archer and the second-ever athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games, while Diya also competed in the Tokyo Olympics. Both Ruman and Diya have been employees of Bangladesh Ansar, and their resignation letters are supposed to drop on Friday. 

Despite his many international achievements, Ruman's career has seen recent setbacks. He last represented Bangladesh in the 2023 Asian Games in China after coming back from a year-long ban imposed by the Bangladesh Archery Federation on disciplinary grounds. However, the 29-year-old was left out of the national squad in recent months due to declining performance. His outspoken criticism of federation officials also hit the headlines, marking his retirement from the national archery team.

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Ruman open to return if facilities increased

Meanwhile, Diya, who had been on leave to recover from an injury, is officially scheduled to rejoin the national archery camp on Friday.