Ratna joins coaching circuit

Illustrious shooter Sharmin Akter Ratna, a gold medallist at the South Asian Games and Commonwealth Shooting Championships, entered the coaching circuit after some time away from shooting.

Ratna was named one of four coaches for the national shooting team, which is scheduled to take part in the ISSF Grand Prix Rifle/Pistol Jakarta from February 8. 12 shooters have preliminary been picked up for the competition although experienced shooter Abdullah Hel Baki was left out.

"It is not official yet. [BSSF general secretary Intikhabul Hamid] Apu bhai asked me to join the team as assistant coach so that I could learn coaching methods from foreign coach [Mohammad Zaer Rezaei]. That can help me build myself up as a coach for the future. I have also joined the ongoing national camp from the first day of this month and I am now learning how to coach shooters, which is totally different than hitting the target yourself," the 33-year-old told The Daily Star.

Bangladesh Sport Shooting Federation executive member Mustaque Waise added: "Ratna will be acting as the camp commander-cum-coach and travel with the team to assist female shooters aboard. We are also planning to groom her as a coach and familiarise herself with managerial and coaching jobs in international competitions. We also plan to send her to complete coaching courses."

Ratna broke out in 2008 and represented Bangladesh in the 2012 London Olympics. Her last international tournament was the ISSF World Cup in India last year while her last appearance in the domestic circuit came in the Air Gun Championships of 2018.