Caesar's redemption

Gymnast Quazi Syque Caesar has put years of frustrating performances behind him as he reached the final round of two events in the Incheon Asian Games yesterday.

The USA-based gymnast, who failed miserably in the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, put up a scintillating show at the Namdong Gymnasium yesterday to reach the eight-man finals of parallel bars and nine-man finals of horizontal bar, which will be held on October 24 and 25 respectively.

Caesar said he could sense that something good was going to happen when he landed perfectly on the floor from the parallel bars. “I felt really good when I landed perfectly. I could only remember one word, 'redemption.' It was redemption for my performance in the Commonwealth Games,” said a relieved Caesar.

Caesar not only redeemed himself, but paid back the faith entrusted to him by sports minister Brien Sikder. Caesar was not supposed to take part in the Asian Games at all as gymnastics, along with eight other disciplines, was excluded from the Bangladesh continent.

Caesar's poor performance in the Commonwealth Games, where he had scored a miserable 9.931 points, had convinced the Bangladesh Olympic Association that he should be left out of Asian Games contingent. But thanks to the sports minister's insistence and Caesar's father's encouragement, the 24-year-old gymnast went to Incheon. And now he is here in the final round, dreaming of medals from the Asian Games.

The 24-year-old gymnast yesterday scored 15.150 points in qualifying round of the parallel bars, eclipsing his previous best mark of 14.766 points set in the 2012 Olympics, to finish seventh among 62 gymnasts. He also put up his best effort of 14.200 points in the qualification round of horizontal bar, eclipsing his previous best of 13.700 set in the 2012 Olympics, to finish seventh among 56 gymnasts.

Caesar is the lone competitor in the gymnastics event from Bangladesh and he didn't garner too much attention either from the Bangladesh officials or the spectators. But he is least bothered about it as he knows all that could change now that he stands so close to a precious medal.