An inspiration for generations

Sultana Kamal, the daughter-in-law of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who lost her life along with her family members on August 15, was a very successful athlete and is still remains an inspiration for sportswomen in Bangladesh.

Sultana was a very good athlete from her school days; she used to take part in 100-metre hurdles and long-jump in various competitions, where she set many records.

She was a student of Bakshi Bazar Muslim Girl’s School. She rose to prominence during the Inter-school Athletics in 1962-63. In 1968, she set a record at the Pakistan Olympics when she was only 16. Two years later she broke her record at Lahore in the 1970 edition of the Pakistan Olympics.

In the post-liberation period, Sultana participated in the first Bangladesh National Athletics competition in Dhaka where she was unbeatable. In total nine events, Sultana became the champion in 100-metre hurdles, long-jump, and broad-jump events. She also came second in the 100-metre sprint.

In 1975, the national athletics competition took place in February, and Sultana once again proved her dominance on the track. Her timing was 17.05 seconds, the new national record.

During that time, in a country like Bangladesh which had just survived a nine-month-long liberation war, completing the 100-metre hurdles in 17.05 was a great achievement.

In the 1974 Asian Games, the gold medal winner in 100-Metre Hurdles completed the race in 13.31 seconds by setting up a new games record. The silver and bronze medal winners took over 14 seconds.

Sultana, who had a naturally athletic build, could very well challenge those numbers if she could receive proper training. She was also a student of Social Science at the University of Dhaka and also competed for the university in national competitions and earned many accolades.

She was the first woman to receive “Dhaka University Blue”.

Shamima Sattar Mimu, Sultana’s long time competitor and also an ardent admirer, told The Business Post that she had the talent to compete at the global stage, which unfortunately did not happen.

“She was named as Golden Girl in Dhaka University. Her jumping skills received high appreciation in India. In a war-torn country, we did not have coaches or modern coaching guidance. We used to train ourselves. Like Khuku Apa (Sultana) taught me a few tricks. If she could receive higher training, she could have competed with the bests in a bigger stage,” Mimu told TBP.

Sultana also received the trophy from Bangladesh Sports Press Association in 1973 as the ‘Best Athlete of the Year’. A very good-looking and stylish Sultana had a smile that could win a million hearts.

But she met a tragic end when she was brutally murdered with her husband Sheikh Kamal and other family members at their house on Dhanmondi road 32 on August 15 by a group of rebel armed force members.

Sultana only lived for 22 years, but her impact on the next generation of sportswomen is huge. She practised athletics in the 1960s when society was more conservative and there were almost no financial benefits.

The situation has changed now. The Bangladesh national women’s cricket team are right now playing in their first-ever Cricket World Cup, and women footballers are also doing well at the South Asian level. There are women archers, swimmers, weightlifters, shooters who have won medals in various international competitions.

Sherin Sultana, a women wrestler who won the bronze medal in Islamic Solidarity Games, told TBP that the name inspires her a lot.

“I have Sultana in my name. Whenever I think about Sultana Kamal, who faced all the adversities in life for sports during that time, I feel more inspired that if she could do it back then, then why can’t ?” she said.