On the opening day of the 49th National Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Sunday, Sharifa Khatun finished second in the women’s 100m sprint. With the silver medal around her neck, the 28-year-old athlete from Khulna was brimming with joy.

Shirin Akter, meanwhile, maintained her dominance in the women’s 100m event, securing the title for a record 16th time.

Not that long ago, there used to be a dogfight among a number of teams for medals in the national and summer athletics championships.

Sprinters Imranur Rahman and Shirin Akter continued their dominant streak in the domestic circuit, winning the gold medal in their respective events in the opening day of the 47th National Athletics Championships at Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) yesterday.

Mezbahuddin Ahmed and Shirin Akter retain the titles for the fastest man and woman of the country on Saturday.