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What's the story?
If you had watched Hima Das flying off into the air to ensure that she moves a step closer to getting her name on that coveted Asian Games medal, you would have noticed that keen hunger in her eyes to win. With that hunger raging in her, the doe-eyed 18-year-old Assamese stormed ahead like a razor-sharp bullet today at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta as she shot across the track in her blue jersey with sheer magic in her feet in the 400 m Women's Finale event! The teenager who is creating history with every race she sets her feet in, broke her own freshly created National Record and installed a new one whilst being garlanded with a silver medal at the Games!
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In case you didn't know...
It was just yesterday, the 25th of August, that Hima Das dethroned Manjit Kaur from her 2004 National record of 51.05 seconds. Hima replaced her with a timing of 51.00 seconds in the record books when she came second in the Heat Qualifiers just, 0.14 seconds behind Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser.
The heart of the matter
The name Hima Das has been a chant on the lips of the Indians ever since the Guwahati-born sprinter raced into the hearts of millions when she clinched the gold medal in the Women’s 400-metre event at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. In that race, she notched a win in 51.46 seconds and from then on she has kept improving her time with every race. In the 400 m finals, Hima knew she'd have to step it up and put her foot down on the accelerator and she did just that when she lurched ahead to create another National Record in her name as she finished second in 50.79 seconds, 0.70 seconds behind the gold-medal winner! Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser breezed past Hima and eluded her grasp to clinch a gold in 50.09 seconds!
What's next?
The challenge for the Assamese youngster is clearly cut out. With every win, she is improving her time and writing new National Records to her name as she laid hands on a silver at the Asian Games. But the road ahead isn't easy and she needs to power on better with every day to surpass and overcome the hurdles that come in the form of Salwa Eid Naser, to name a few! With the consistency Hima is displaying, she will soon be there conquering the world, one race at a time.
Do you think Hima can win a medal for India at the 2020 Olympics? Do let us know in the comments section below.
