Hattrick of records for Rinky

Rinky Biswas capped a remarkable campaign at the 17th Summer Athletics Championships by setting a third consecutive national record on the final day today. The long-distance runner from Bangladesh Navy clinched her fourth gold medal of the meet with a record-breaking performance in the 10,000m run, clocking 39:14.73 at the National Stadium.

Running barefoot for comfort, Rinky dominated the three-day competition, rewriting the record books in every long-distance event she entered. On the first two days, she set national records in the 5000m (18:20) and 3000m (10:27.6) events. She also claimed her maiden senior-level gold in the 1500m on the opening day, eventually winning the best female athlete of the championships.

In total, seven national records were set during the meet, with three coming on the final day alone.

Interestingly, Rinky was once on track to become a footballer. However, her endurance caught the eye of coach Dilip Chakrabarti, who introduced her to athletics at the Junior Championships in 2018. That same year, at just 11 years old, the girl from Narail broke the national record in the 1500m. Her exploits attracted the attention of Bangladesh Navy, who brought her in as a contractual runner.

Since then, she has become one of the country's most dominant long-distance athletes. Though she has lost count of her gold medals over the past eight years, she vividly remembers when she set records in the 3000m (in 2019), 5000m (2021), and 10,000m (2022).

"With four golds in this championship, I think my medal tally has crossed 10," Rinky said after her latest triumph. "But what makes this special is that I managed to break [all my] records in all three long-distance events in a single competition while also winning every race I entered."

The Grade 11 student said her confidence stemmed from strong performances in training, where she had already broken national records. "I was confident I could achieve something big this time. I believed in myself, and I'm happy to have done it. Now, I hope Bangladesh Navy rewards me with a permanent job," she said.

Despite her success, Rinky believes she can go faster if given proper support. "I think I can improve my timing, but I need better training facilities from the federation and Bangladesh Navy," she added.

She also expressed frustration that long-distance events are often neglected in international competitions. "The federation should consider sending long-distance runners to international meets. With proper training, diet, and facilities, we can also deliver good results," she said. Rinky added that her elder brother, Sourov Biswas, inspired by her, has joined Bangladesh Army as a long-distance runner and is expected to compete in national events soon.

In the 200m events, Tareq Rahman and Sharifa Khatun emerged champions. Tareq won gold on his 200m debut, clocking 22.04 seconds after UK-based sprinter Imranur Rahman pulled out midway with a hamstring injury. His coach said Imranur will need two weeks to recover.

Sharifa edged veteran Shirin Akhter by a whisker, taking gold in 25.24 seconds. Shirin, a 16-time fastest woman, clocked 25.27 to settle for silver – her second after losing the 100m crown to Sumiya Akhter on day one.

Bangladesh Army topped the medal tally with 26 gold, 21 silver, and 15 bronze medals. Bangladesh Navy followed with 13 gold, 16 silver, and 12 bronze, while Bangladesh Police finished third with one gold and two bronze medals.