Under the giant steel roof at the Sheikh Russel Roller Skating Stadium in Paltan, adorned with shining banners featuring a smiling photo of archer Sagor Islam raising his index finger triumphantly, the 18-year-old archer looked radiant alongside his mother during a warm reception yesterday. 

This celebration followed his outstanding achievement of qualifying directly for the upcoming Paris Olympics as the second archer and overall third athlete from Bangladesh.

Sagor, the younger child of 47-year-old Selina, lost his father at the tender age of three. However, he did not face the magnitude of hardship as anticipated, thanks to the tireless efforts of his widowed mother, Selina.

Since the demise of her husband from a brain stroke, Selina has been running a tea stall in Rajshahi for the last 15 years to support her four children, including the younger Sagor. Her dedication has now paid off in abundance, with Sagor making history in Bangladesh sports and feeling like "the number one son in the world".

Selina has come to Dhaka for the third time, each visit related to Sagor, to witness the warm reception for her son. She recounted their journey and the challenges faced after losing her husband 15 years ago.

"Without my husband, I worked hard for the last 15 years by selling tea, but I never forced my children to work. I wanted to raise them as good human beings by providing them with education and other facilities I could afford. My elder son completed his honours degree, while my two daughters got married.

"I never allowed Sagor to work at the tea stall. Though he was a bit fickle-minded, he loved sports. So, I kept him close by getting him admitted to the nearby SB Archery Academy in Rajshahi," said a teary-eyed Selina, who was brought to the stage along with Sagor after he was garlanded with flowers, adding that she now feels no pain from the struggles of raising Sagor as he has made the country proud with his performance.

Meanwhile, sponsor City Group handed Sagor a reward of Tk 5 lakh.