Sprinting to victory: Hima Das wins gold at Star Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland
While 19-year-old Hima won the women's 200m gold clocking 23.56 seconds, her teammate VK Vismaya finished third, at 23.75 seconds.
Hima Das
Nicknamed 'Dhing Express', Indian sprint runner Hima Das won the women's 200m gold at the Star Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland, clocking 23.56 seconds. Her teammate VK Vismaya finished third, at 23.75 seconds.
The 19-year-old won her first gold medal in the 400m final at the IAAF World U-20 Championships 2018 held in Tampere, Finland. Clocking 51.46 seconds, her victory also gave India its first-ever international gold in a track event.
Hima also holds the current Indian national record in the 400m category with a timing of 50.79 seconds that she achieved at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. At the same event, Hima, along with Vismaya and other teammates MR Poovamma and Sarita Gayakwad won the gold in the 4 x 400m relay, clocking 3 minutes 28.72 seconds.
Hailing from Dhing, a small village in Assam, Hima initially wanted to pursue a career in football, but wasn't able to because of the lack of prospects in women's football. She later chose to become a sprint runner after consulting a teacher at school.
In October 2018, Hima was conferred with the Arjuna Award by President Ram Nath Kovind for her excellence in sports. She was also appointed as UNICEF India's first-ever youth ambassador for sports in November that year. She is also the sports ambassador for the state of Assam.
In April this year, Hima suffered a back injury at the Asian Athletics Championships held in Doha, which gave a blow to the Indian team. However, with her latest victory, she has made a spectacular comeback.
Last year, we saw the emergence of Indian women in sports with athletes like Hima Das, Dutee Chand, and Swapna Barman keeping the Indian flag flying high. We are seeing an increasing number of women leading the country to victory, and we hope the winning streak continues.
(Edited by Megha Reddy)
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