Jinnat accorded warm reception after historic Asian Games bronze

Wushu athlete Jinnat Akter received a warm welcome at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Saturday after returning home with a historic bronze medal from the Asian Games in Aichi, Japan.

Jinnat arrived in Dhaka at 2:40am in the morning after becoming the first Bangladeshi athlete in 40 years to win an individual medal at the Asian Games.

The Bangladesh Army athlete claimed bronze in the women's 52kg sanda event, bringing an end to Bangladesh's long wait for an individual podium finish at the continental multi-sport extravaganza.

National Sports Council (NSC) Sports Director Zahed Parvez Chowdhury and Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Mohammad Ullah were among those who received Jinnat at the airport, presenting her with flowers.

Senior officials from the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) and Dildar Hasan Dilu, the General Secretary of Bangladesh Wushu Federation were also present to congratulate the athlete on her historic achievement.

Jinnat's medal is Bangladesh's first individual Asian Games medal since boxer Mosharraf Hossain won bronze at the 1986 Seoul Games.

The achievement is all the more remarkable given that the Aichi Games marked Jinnat's international debut. The Netrakona-born athlete has been a dominant force on the domestic circuit since entering the national championship in 2019, winning seven gold medals without ever finishing runner-up.

Jinnat secured her place on the podium after reaching the semi-finals of the women's 52kg sanda event. She received a bye in the opening round before advancing from the quarter-finals after Indonesia's Tisara Dya Florentina was disqualified for failing to make the required weight.

Although her campaign ended in the semi-finals against China's Wu Di, Jinnat had already secured bronze by reaching the last four.
Her breakthrough has added a fresh chapter to Bangladesh's Asian Games story and offered a timely reminder of the country's potential beyond its traditional medal-winning disciplines.