The next big contender

Photo: Prabir Das

South Asian Games 2016 has been quite remarkable for Bangladeshi women athletes for a number of reasons. While our women swimmers and weightlifters have already clinched gold at the games, this year, for the first time, women boxers from Bangladesh are participating in an international sports meet. This year, three women boxers - Saki Akhter in the 60 kg category, Basona Khandakar in the 75 kg category and Shamima Aktar in the 51 kg category, are participating in the SA Games. Last month, while they were camping at the Bangladesh Amateur Boxing Federation in Dhaka as a part of their training for the SA Games, Star Weekend caught up with 19-year-old Shamima Aktar, Bangladesh's national champion and gold medalist at the National Women's Boxing Competition in the junior levels from 2013 and 2014, who also happens to be the youngest player in the SA Games women boxing team from Bangladesh.

For more, check out this week's spotlight