Bangladesh archers won the gold medal in the compound men’s team event at the 2026 Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament, Stage 1, held in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday.
The team, comprising Himu Bachhar, Aishwarzo Rahman and Nawaz Ahmed Rakib, defeated Vietnam’s Cong Duc Dang, Ngoc Tu Pham and Xuan Huong Tran by 231–225 points (57–55, 115–111, 172–169) in the final to secure the top podium finish.
This marks the first time Bangladesh has won gold in the team event of the compound division at the Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament, according to the archery federation.
Aishwarzo Rahman said in a video message that “team bonding and experience” were the main reasons behind their historic success.
He also spoke about their strong preparation ahead of the tournament.
“Thanks to Allah that we won the medal. The biggest factor was our good practice, especially at BKSP. Then I trained with the national team. Both experiences helped,” said Aishwarzo in his immediate reaction after the triumph.
Himu Bachhar expressed gratitude to the Air Force for its support and facilities. He also thanked the federation and BKSP.
“Winning the gold medal is amazing. It was my dream to achieve gold at an international tournament and raise the country’s flag in front of other nations,” Himu said.
He added that his ultimate goal is to win gold at the Olympics.
Bangladesh national archery team’s head coach Martin Frederick highlighted the importance of preparation and team unity.
“We had good practice in the training camp and built strong bonding, which is important to bring the team together. Everybody knows each other very well. We focused heavily in the last week because we believed we could achieve something,” he said.
The German coach expressed his excitement over the victory.
“I am very happy and excited about the gold. It was a great job from the first arrow. They took the lead against Vietnam and didn’t give a millimeter of space to the opponents until the end,” Frederick added.
He also noted that the gold medal would boost the team’s confidence and motivation ahead of major upcoming tournaments, including the World Cup later this year.