Bangladesh struck their first gold of the 11th South Asian Games

yesterday. But the fourth day of the regional showpiece event would be remembered more for wrong reasons than right.

Weightlifter Hamidul Islam claimed the 77kg gold to make sure that the national anthem of Bangladesh is played for the first time at the National Sports Council Gymnasium. However, the absence of any competitors from heavyweights India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka made his achievement as predictable as the lines on one's palm.

The 35-year-old won the battle of three competitors including a lightweight from Afghanistan. Still, it got soured a little when his rival and compatriot Monoronjon Roy, who won the silver, claimed after the event that he was

denied of showing what he was capable of.

In Khulna, a Bangladeshi woman cyclist embarrassed the whole nation. Marma Fatema Chingby was disqualified despite finishing first in the 50-km road race mass start for her act of cheating. She was thrown out after it was con-

firmed that a Bangladesh official pushed her cycle from behind during competition. Besides, she also skipped a U-turn sparking widespread resentment among other participants.

The organisers Bangladesh Olympic Association also put

themselves into a spot bother and the Bhutanese in disarray by wrongly playing the national anthem of Maldives before the start of the Bangladesh-Bhutan football match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The Nepalese football team however topped the story of culprits by assaulting the referee after the match against Maldives, who won 1-0.

The good thing for Bangladesh on a day of pain and pleasure was their men's football team's 4-0 win against Bhutan and impressive showing by the kabaddi and handballteams.

As far the as the race for medals is concerned India continued to lead the pack by a distance.

They won 11 gold, one silver and five bronze medals, pushing their impressive tally to 17-1-5.

Pakistan won five gold, three silver and one bronze to leapfrog Sri Lanka to the second position with a total of 6-8-2.

The Lankans fired blank yesterday when it came to hitting at gold. They however won six silver and two bronze to take theirtally to 2-8-3.