DOT Desk: Bangladesh’s fastest man Imranur Rahman made it to the semi-finals of the men’s 100m event of Asian Games after finishing third in his respective heat in Hangzhou yesterday, reports Dhaka Tribune.
The London-based sprinter clocked 10.44 seconds to complete his race ahead of athletes from Malaysia, South Korea, Maldives, Mongolia and Laos in Heat 5 held at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. Indonesia’s Lalu Muhammad and Qatar’s Femi Ogunode took 10.22s and 10.24s respectively to claim the first two places in the same heat. The semi-finals will be held at the same venue Saturday evening. “I have to perform better in the semi-finals because this timing is not enough to reach the final. I will try,” Imranur told reporters after the race.
This is the first time 30-year old Imranur is taking part in Asia’s biggest multi-sports carnival after being eligible to represent Bangladesh in 2021. He became the first athletics competitor from Bangladesh to win a medal at the Asian indoor championships when he claimed gold in 60m in the 2023 edition of the tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan. He also reached the semi-finals of Asian Championships this year in the 100m sprint with a timing of 10.40s before improving it to 10.11s, all-time best by any Bangladeshi, in the Newham & Essex Beagles Outdoor Series in London earlier this month.