Sana blitzes way to gold

Archer Ruman Sana bagged his second individual international gold medal as he beat Russia's Alex Nikolayev in the Recurve Bow event final in an International Archery Tournament in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek yesterday.

Sana, who had first won a gold in the same event in 2015 Asian Archery Grand Prix tournament in Thailand, mauled his superior opponent 27-20, 26-25 and 29-28 in all three sets to secure the maximum six points.

It was Sana's fourth international gold overall. The 23-year-old has also won golds in the men's team event and mixed team event in the Islamic Solidarity Archery Championships in Dhaka last year.

"It was a tough challenge for me to beat Nikolayev, who is a member of the Russian main team and I was a bit nervous from the outset. But I gained in confidence when he shot only six in one of three arrows for each set. And I took the lead and never looked back," said Sana over the phone from Tajikistan yesterday, adding that he had also played good in the last set amid cold and windy conditions to ensure the gold medal.

"I am really happy to have done something for the nation. I think it will help me do well in the upcoming Asian Archery Championship in November in Dhaka," concluded Sana, who started his archery career in 2011. Bangladesh will host the Asian Archery Championships in November.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh mixed team, comprising of Sana and Beauty Roy, lost to Kazakhstan in the bronze-medal deciding match on the same day.