Bangladesh secures second medal with Table Tennis triumph

Bangla Press Desk:   Bangladesh has ensured another medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games, currently underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, the Bangladeshi mixed doubles pair of Javed Ahmed and Khoy Khoy Marma defeated the Maldives 3-0 in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals.

According to table tennis rules, both teams that reach the semifinals are guaranteed a bronze medal. On Thursday, the Bangladesh mixed doubles duo will face Bahrain in the final. If victorious, they will meet either Turkey or Azerbaijan — the winners of the other semifinal — in the championship match.

In their quarterfinal match, Bangladesh claimed the first game 14-12, the second 11-5, and the third 11-8, defeating Maldives’ Nazif-Mansif pair to secure the medal.

Earlier, the Bangladeshi pair had defeated Guyana 3-2 in the pre-quarterfinals. So far, Bangladesh has already won three bronze medals at the Games in weightlifting, with Marjia Akter Ekra claiming three medals in the 53 kg category.

Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation Secretary General Captain Maksud Ahmed sent his congratulations to the team. And announced a cash reward of BDT 25,000 each for the two players. If they win silver, the bonus will rise to BDT 100,000, and if they claim gold, the pair will receive BDT 200,000 in total, said a press release from the federation.

BP/SP