‘Sadia had a lot to give to the nation’

Acclaimed shooter Sharmin Akter Ratna was left shocked and dismayed on hearing the news of the fellow shooter Syeda Sadia Sultana, with whom she had forged a successful partnership at domestic and international circuit.

Sadia passed away in Chattogram yesterday at 31 years of age after battling mental issues for years.

"It's sad that such a promising career has been cut short," Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation's joint secretary Mushtaque Waiz told The Daily Star yesterday evening, confirming that the successful shooter had taken her own life earlier in the morning.

"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 financially several times," Mushtaque added.

The last time Said had represented the country on the international stage was in 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, but it was the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka and the Commonwealth Shooting Championship in New Delhi later that year that earned Sadia fame in the shooting circuit. Sadia had won gold in the women's team event of 10m air rifle in those two competitions, partnership Ratna.

"I wasn't ready to hear the news about the untimely death of Sadia, with whom I won a few gold medals – a feat that has not been matched by any other female shooters in the country till now," Ratna, currently working as a coach at the BSSF, told The Daily Star.

Battling depression for long, Sadia had remained away from public eye for majority of the last decade. However, she returned to headlines back in 2017 after suffering severe burn injuries from a fire at her home in Chattogram.

Ratna lamented the untimely departure of the shooter, who she feels could have given much more to the nation.

"It is a matter of great regret that she departed this world at the age of only 31. I believe she had a lot to give to the nation and to the sport if we could have kept her in the shooting fraternity," Ratna said.