Ace India sprinter Hima Das has once again made the country proud as she bagged two international gold medals within a week. In her first competitive 200m race of the year, she had clocked 23.65s on her way to gold in the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix, in Poland, on Tuesday, July 2. The 19-year-old claimed her second international gold in women's 200m with a top finish at the Kutno Athletics Meet also in Poland on Sunday, July 7. This was her first competitive 200m race of the year. The national record holder in 400m had been struggling with a back problem for the past few months.
As the 19-year-old makes us proud, here’s a look at her inspirational journey from rice fields to tracks, rising above odds.
Beginnings
Hima Das grew up in a rice-farming family of Dhing in Assam. She is the youngest of six siblings. Das was always inclined towards sports. She was noticed by a local coach while she was playing football in the mud pits next to the rice fields. Taking into consideration her pace in the field, the coach asked her to move her focus on the track sports, instead. She took the advice and started practicing on the muddy fields. The locals were fascinated by her energy and soon people started calling her ‘Dhing Express’.
Pursuing her career means relocating to Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati which is 140 km away from her village. Her parents were not keen on the decision but agreed considering she will get three meals a day there. And it paid off.
Created History
On July 13, 2018, Hima Das created history by winning the first-ever gold medal in the women’s 400-meter event at IAAF World U-20 Championships in Finland. She raced to victory clocking 51.46 seconds. She is officially the first Indian athlete to win gold in a world championship across all age groups.
…and taught us the true definition of ‘patriotism’
After winning her first ever gold at a global track event, her emotional video of singing the national anthem went viral. Das broke down in tears during the national anthem. The moment will definitely go down in the history.
Achievements
Her latest achievements prove the girl has no plans of slowing down. She came into the limelight, months before creating history at the U-20 Championships, after competing in the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia. In the event, she finished sixth in the 400 meters and 4x400 meters relay, where the Indian team finished seventh. Later she participated in the 2018 Asian games, where she won gold at 4x400 m event and silver medals in mixed 4x400m and 400m races. She was felicitated with the Arjuna Award and appointed as the ambassador of UNICEF-India.
Campaign
Apart from being an athlete, Das is also a socially conscious teenager. In July 2018, she ran a campaign against illegal liquor vendors in her village.
