Bangladesh girls make history with Asia Cup medal on debut

Bangladesh’s women’s Under-18 hockey team has created history by winning a bronze medal in their very first appearance at the Asia Cup. The young team defeated Kazakhstan 6-2 in the third-place playoff match on Sunday morning, marking the country’s first-ever podium finish in the tournament.

Airin Akhter starred for Bangladesh, scoring a hat-trick and being named the player of the match. Captain Mukta Khatun, Sharmin Akhter, and Tamanna Akhter also found the net, each contributing a goal to the victory.

Despite a heavy 9-0 semifinal loss to host nation China, Bangladesh fought valiantly throughout the competition. After an opening 11-0 defeat against Japan in the group stage, the team bounced back with back-to-back wins against Uzbekistan and Hong Kong. A 2-2 draw against Kazakhstan secured their place in the semifinals.

In the bronze medal match, Bangladesh showed great composure and skill to claim victory over Kazakhstan, setting a new benchmark for women’s hockey in the country.

Meanwhile, the men’s Under-18 team fell short of a medal, finishing fourth after losing 5-2 to Malaysia in the third-place match. The men had earlier defeated Hong Kong but were edged out by Japan 6-4 in the semifinals.

This historic achievement for the women’s team is a promising sign for the future of Bangladesh hockey.