Jinnat secures Bangladesh`s first individual medal in 40 years

Bangladesh's Jinnat Akter has secured at least a bronze medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after advancing to the women's 52kg wushu semifinal, ending the country's four-decade wait for an individual medal at the continental multi-sport event.

Jinnat, a Bangladesh Army athlete, received a bye in the opening round before progressing to the quarterfinals without competing after her Indonesian opponent was disqualified for failing to meet the prescribed weight limit. Consequently, Jinnat advanced to the semifinal by walkover and secured a medal under wushu's competition rules, which award bronze to both losing semifinalists when more than six athletes compete in the event.

The achievement marks Bangladesh's first individual Asian Games medal since boxer Mosharraf Hossain won bronze in the 81kg light-heavyweight division at the 1986 Seoul Games. Moreover, Jinnat has dominated the domestic national championships since 2019, winning seven consecutive gold medals, and has now made a significant breakthrough on her debut at a major international event.

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She will face a Chinese opponent in Wednesday's semifinal, with a victory potentially taking her into the final. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Sajib Hossain was eliminated from the men's 56kg event after suffering a knockout defeat to China's Xiamin.