& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Shagor leaves, head held high

QUAZI ZULQUARNAIN Islam from London
Bangladeshi swimmer Mahfizur RahmanShagor bowed out of the Olympics yesterday, finishing seventh out of eight competitors in his
heat for the 50m freestyle event.
Shagor's time of 24.64 was better than the time he posted in the World Championships in Shanghai last year, but predictably was not enough for him to qualify for the semifinals. Shagor was over two seconds slower than the slowest qualifier, Australia’s Eamon Sullivan who posted a time of22.27.
"Considering the time of preparation that I had for the Olympics, I can say that I am happy with my performance," said Shagor in the mixed zones after his race at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park.
"The water here is very cold. It reminded me of the time in Bangladesh right after Cyclone Sidr, when the water was extremely cold as well."
In the overall results summary Shagor finished 39th out of 58 competitors and he professed himself happy to be in the mix.
"Most times, our athletes finish close to last position in the overall summary. If you see my score you will see that I will be amongst the middle. So I am quite satisfied with the swim."
Shagor lamented his preparation for the event.
"If I had managed to prepare half of what I did for the SAAF Championships, then I would have done better. I did not have a dedicated Olympic camp so it is difficult to post better times."
The swimmer also confessed that watching legends like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Cesar Cielo was an eye opening experience.
"There is a lot of difference between them and us. The way they train, their facilities and the support they receive are miles away from what we are used to. They are also extremely dedicated," he added.
Shagor also admitted that he was not used to the weather conditions and had developed a cold, which had not helped him in his preparations.
But he said that his parents would be extremely proud of his achievements.
"As a child, I remember my father, who was a freedom fighter in Sector 7, always saying that I would one day go on to do great things, visit great cities and experience different things. I think he is very proud today."