NURTURING DREAMS
Diya’s determined aim
Young archer Diya Siddique was eliminated from the women’s recurve singles after putting up a brilliant fight in the shoot-off stage of 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She might have missed out on the gold medal, but she fared well against Karyna Dziominskaya of Belarus.
Prior to being scouted for the Olympics, she won a gold medal in recurve women's singles in 2019 during the 3rd ISSF Solidarity Archery Championship. She made history by reaching the finals of the 2021 Archery World Cup in May, alongside fellow archer Mohammed Ruman Shana, who is one of her role models. The duo won a silver medal in the recurve mixed team event of the tournament.
Diya grew up in Nilphamari until she got the opportunity to join Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP). Initially, her family was not supportive of her ambitions to attend BKSP, until her father stepped up for her. Diya has been learning archery since 2017. She believes that practice and consistency are crucial in this field.
In her journey towards getting to where she is today, she received immense support from her coach Martin Friedrich, her BKSP coaches Nur Alam and Ziaul Haque, and her father, in particular. "As of now, I am focusing on my studies, but I plan to participate in the 2024 Olympics," Diya said about her future plans.
The author is a freelance journalist.
Email: nawarzareen@gmail.com.