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Imranur Rahman – who became Bangladesh’s fastest man four times – will look to set a personal best timing in the men’s 100-metre event at the Paris Olympics, which is set to be held from July 26 to August 11. 

The England-based Bangladeshi sprinter has been working on his form throughout the year and was very excited when he heard about his wild card entry to the Olympics in early July as it gave him the chance to run at the world’s biggest sporting event for the first time.

‘My target is to perform at my best and hopefully advance as far as I can. Setting a new personal best would be a great accomplishment,’ the 31-year-old told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·.

‘It’s a great opportunity, and I’m grateful for the chance to represent Bangladesh on such a big stage…It is extremely important to me.’

Imranur is currently spending six to eight hours in practice daily, which includes sprinting drills, strengthening training, and recovery sessions to ensure that he arrives at the Olympics in the best possible shape.

‘I’m training hard and staying focused, taking it one step at a time to be at my best form at the Olympics,’ he said.

The sprinter clocked his career-best timing of 10.01 seconds in the heats of the men’s 100-metre event of the fifth Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey in August 2022, and followed it up with a 10.17 seconds timing in the finals.

In July 2023, Imranur’s timing went down as he clocked 10.25 seconds in the men’s 100-metre event of the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

His current objective is to run 100 metres in Paris in 10 seconds but he is aware of his topsy-turvy form, and also of those he will face at the Olympics.

‘I’m aware of the other top sprinters and their impressive performances. Competing against them will be challenging, but it’s a great learning experience,’ he said.

‘Finishing inside 10 seconds would be a remarkable achievement and make a significant impact. I’m working hard towards achieving that.’

Imranur became the first Bangladeshi to win a gold medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship when he clocked 6.59 seconds in the men’s 60-metre sprint event in 2023.

While that remains a moment of pride for the sprinter, his goal has now moved on to a much bigger event.

‘That was a proud moment. I will strive to perform well at the Olympics and give my best effort for Bangladesh. I’ll try my best to achieve a good result,’ Imranur said.

Imranur became the four-time national champion in a row clocking 10.36 seconds in the 100-metre event in February this year, which was 0.07 seconds more than his personal domestic best of 10.29 seconds he set at the national meet in September 2022.

Imranur, a Bangladesh Army team sprinter, was crowned as the country’s fastest man for the first time in January 2022 when he clocked 10.50 seconds in the National Athletics Championships and emerged champion after running 10.49 seconds in December 2022.