Hima Das: From rice fields of Assam to World U-20 Athletics Championships

Hima Das clocked 51.46s to finish ahead of Andrea Miklos of Romania and USA’s Taylor Manson at the World U-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland

 

Hima Das on Thursday made the country proud by becoming the first Indian woman athlete to win a gold at the world level.

The 18-year-old won 400m gold at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletic Championships by clocking a speed of speed of 51.46s.

She is also the first Indian — men or women — to have won a gold in a track event at the world level.

Das now joins the illustrious company of star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold in Poland in the last edition in 2016 in a world record effort.

The win triggered celebrations at the Indian camp and many people, including the Prime Minister and the president, took to social media to praise the Assam girl.

Here are a few facts that we know about the life and journey of Hima Das:

1. According to The Indian Express, the 18-year-old started participating in competitive race only 18-months back.

2. She is from Dhing village in Nagaon district of Assam. Hima’s father Ronjit Das is a rice farmer.

3. She was interested in sports since childhood as she regularly played football with local boys in the mud pits next to the rice fields.

ALSO READ: Under-20 World Junior Athletics: Hima Das wins gold, scripts history

4. She was convinced to take up athletics by a coach with the Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare.

5. The coach later asked her to shift to Guwahati and arranged for her accommodation near the Sarusajai Sports Complex.

6. In the Commonwealth Games held in April, Das clocked an Indian U-20 record of 51.32 seconds to finish sixth.

7. She improved her timing further at the recently held National Inter-State Championships in Guwahati. Das won gold at the event while improving her timing to 51.13 seconds.(CLICK HERE)

Under-20 World Junior Athletics: Hima Das wins gold, scripts history

The 18-year-old Das, a pre-tournament favourite, clocked 51.46s to win the gold medal

 

Hima Das on Thursday scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships as she clinched to top spot in the women’s 400m final race on the third day of competitions here.

The 18-year-old Das, a pre-tournament favourite, clocked 51.46s to win the gold.

She now joins the illustrious company of star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold in Poland in the last edition in 2016 in a world record effort. In fact, Das is the first Indian track athlete to have won a medal in the history of this competition.

The previous medal winners at the World Junior Championships were Seema Punia (bronze in discus in 2002) and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (bronze in discus in 2014).

Das was a favourite to win gold as she is the U-20 season leader in this quarter-mile event. Das clocked an Indian U-20 record of 51.32 seconds to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Games 400m final in Gold Coast in April.

Since then, she has gone onto improving her timings. She lowered the Indian U-20 record in 400m to 51.13 seconds while winning gold in the recent National Inter State Championships in Guwahati.(Article sourece : BS)