Shyamoly takes off, Baki in waiting

Archer Shyamoly Roy finished 53rd out of 64 competitors in the ranking round of the recurve bow event as Bangladesh's Rio 2016 Olympics mission started on Friday.

The 22-year-old from Narail scored a total of 600 points at the Sambodromo archery venue to set up a first round clash against Gabriella Ballardo of Mexico. Shyamoly's opponent scored 648 points and is expected to prove a tough challenge when the two meet in the first round on Monday. The young Bangladeshi archer, who has already participated in a number of international events, rued the lack of preparation for her poor score in the ranking round.

"I was a bit nervous and I couldn't score as per my usual standard. I think I would have done better if I could have a few days of preparation here at the venue," she lamented.

Shyamoly's event took place in the afternoon before the night's opening ceremony at Maracana, where golfer Siddikur Rahman led the Bangladesh contingent with the red and green flag in his hand.

While Siddikur's event is still four days away, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Abdullah Hel Baki will carry the country's hopes when he gets in on the act at his pet event of 10m air rifle at the Olympic Shooting Centre on Monday morning.

Baki, along with Siddikur, are two of the athletes who will be eager to bring an end to Bangladesh's sorry statistic of having never won an Olympic medal.