The two-day long National Junior (Age-Level) Athletics Championship ended on Saturday with Uzzal Chandra Sutradhar of Narshingdi and Tanzila Akter becoming fastest youth man and woman of the nation. Around 600 hundred participated in the 31 events of the meet where Uzzal retained his crown after two editions while Tanzila put her dissatisfaction of 2013 behind, where she narrowly missed the crown.
Uzzal, who caught all the lights in the 2013 edition after winning the gold medal in the most prestigious 100-metre sprint event also sparkled by setting new national record in the high-jump in 2015 edition, took 10.83 seconds to ensure his gold medal.
Zahir Rayhan of BKSP finished second while his team-mate Markoni Joy claimed the bronze medal.
Uzzal, a first year student of Jessore University of Science and Technology, is hailed from Kishoreganj but took part in the competition for Narshingdi District.
‘BJMC’s Gopal sir [Brojo Gopal Das], who is also from Narshingdi, provided me all the training facilities with his own expense for the last one and half month,’ said Uzzal, son of a carpenter.
‘Due to poverty in my family, I didn’t get proper training facilities and proper nutrition to prepare myself so I am really thankful to Gopal sir.’
Uzzal believes if he gets proper training facilities he can bring success from South Asian Games.
Meanwhile, Tanzila, a 12-grade student of BKSP, expressed her joy after beating her team-mate Disha Sultana to become the fastest youth woman of the nation.
Tanzila took 13.10 seconds to finish her race while Disha managed the silver with 13.17 seconds.
Tanzila, who also came from an unprivileged family of Pabna , is the daughter of a farmer and she expressed her hopes to break the national records in the 100-metre and 200-metre sprints.
‘My target is to become the fastest women of the nation by breaking both national records of Beauty [Nazmunnahar] apu in 100-metre and Subarna apu [Zakia Sultana] in 200-metre,’ said Tanzila, who didn’t participate in the last two editions due to ligament injury.
Meanwhile, BKSP retained their championship after grabbing 13 gold medals among 31 while Narail and Narshingdi became jointly second with five gold medals each.
A total of seven new national junior records were set during the meet.
-With New Age input
