Hima Das

Hima Das (born 9 January 2000), nicknamed Dhing Express,[7] is an Indian sprinter from the state of Assam. She holds the current Indian national record in 400 meters with a timing of 50.79 s that she clocked at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships. She was appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Assam Police[8] under the state's Integrated Sport Policy.[9]

Hima Das
Das at the 2018 Asian Games
Personal information
Native nameহিমা দাস
Birth nameHima Das
Nickname(s)Dhing Express[1][2]
Born (2000-01-09) 9 January 2000
Dhing, Nagaon, Assam, India[2][3]
Height167 cm (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Weight54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
Country India
SportTrack and field
Event(s)100 m
200 m
400 m
Coached byGalina Bukharina[2]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100 m – 11.63 (2021)
200 m – 22.88 (2021)[4]
400 m – 50.79 (NR, 2018)[5][6]
Medal record
Representing  India
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Asian Games 2 1 –
World U20 Championships 1 – –
Total 3 1 0
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2018 JakartaWomen's 4×400 m
Gold medal – first place2018 JakartaMixed 4×400 m
Silver medal – second place2018 Jakarta400 m
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Tampere400 m
Updated on 21 July 2019.

Early life

Hima Das was born at Kandhulimari village, near the town of Dhing in her home state of Assam to Ronjit Das and Jonali Das.[10] Her parents are farmers by profession. She is the youngest of five siblings.[11] She completed early education from Dhing Public High School. She used to play football and had always wanted to pursue a career in football. However, she did not see any prospects for herself in the women's football in India.

At one of the inter-school camps held at the nearby Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), she would arrive at the ground before practise began, and sometimes even before the gates were opened. A physical education teacher at the Vidyalaya was impressed by her determination and punctuality. He later convinced her to pursue a career in sprinting.[12]

Das passed her 12th board exams in May 2019.[13] She is currently pursuing her B.A degree in Cotton University, Assam.[14]

Career

In April 2018, Das competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia, in the 400 metres and the 4×400 metres relay.[3][15]

On 12 July 2018, Das won the 400 m final at the World U-20 Championships 2018 held at Tampere, Finland, clocking 51.46 seconds and becoming the first Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at an international track event.[16]

At the 2018 Asian Games, Das qualified for the 400 m final, after clocking 51.00 in heat 1 and setting a new Indian national record.[17] On 26 August 2018 she improved the national record to 50.79 s in the 400 m final however she could win only the silver medal.[18] Later on 30 August 2018, she, along with M. R. Poovamma, Sarita Gayakwad and V. K. Vismaya won the women's 4 × 400 metres relay clocking 3:28.72. Hima also won a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m mixed relay, which was held for the first time at Asian Games.[19]

Das continued her success in 2019 winning the 200m gold in Poznan Grand Prix in Poland, on 2 July 2019, with a time of 23.65 seconds.[20][21]

On 13 July, she won the 200m at the Kladno Meet in the Czech Republic with a time of 23.43 seconds.[22][23]

On 20 July 2019, she achieved her third win in a month, and fifth win, in the 400-meters in Nové Město, Czech Republic in a time of 52.09 seconds.[24]

She was named for the World Championships to be held at Doha in October 2019. However a month before, she was ruled out of participation due to a back problem, that had started right after she competed at the Asian games the previous year.[25]

On 27 February 2021, Das enrolled as a civil servant in the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police of Assam Police Service cadre through Assam Public Service Commission Direct Entry.[26]

Awards and accolades
President Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Arjuna Award to Das (left) in 2018

References
  1. Loiwal, Manogya (23 July 2018) Hima Das: Tracing star sprinter's journey from Assam's rice fields to global stardom – Sports News. India Today.
  2. Hima Das Archived 5 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine. asiangames2018.id
  3. "Hima Das". Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
  4. "Hima DAS | Profile". worldathletics.org.
  5. "Hima Das, records and biography". Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  6. "Hima Das wins 5th gold of the month after successful return to 400m". India Today. 20 July 2019.
  7. Assam's Dhing Express Hima Das: Early Life, Struggle, First Recoginition, Award & Achievements The Sentinel. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  8. "Hima Das inducted as DSP in Assam, says will continue her athletics career". The Times of India. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  9. "Assam govt decides to appoint sprinter Hima Das as DSP". The Times of India. 10 February 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  10. Desk, Sentinel Digital (5 March 2021). "Assam's Dhing Express Hima Das: Early Life, Struggle, First Recognition, Award & Achievements - Sentinelassam". www.sentinelassam.com. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  11. "Hima Das: From Dhing village to World Championship Golds". The Statesman. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  12. "Hima Das: The girl who chases time". The Indian Express. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  13. "Results are out: Hima Das juggles training & studies, secures first division in her 12th board exams". The Economic Times. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  14. "Hima Das: The girl who chases time". The Indian Express. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  15. "Result – Women's 4 x 400m Relay Final". Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  16. "Hima Wins Historic Gold for India". Hotstar. 13 July 2018. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  17. "Assam's Hima Das breaks national record". time8.in. 25 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  18. "Hima Das wins 400m silver in national record time". The Economic Times. 26 August 2018.
  19. "Welcome To IANS - India's Largest Independent News Service - login". ians.in.
  20. "Hima Das wins 200m gold in Poland". Press Trust of India. 4 July 2019.
  21. "Hima sprints to second international gold within a week". Gulf News Sport. 8 July 2019.
  22. "Hima Das wins third gold in less than two weeks". The Times of India. 13 July 2019.
  23. "Hima Das Sprints To 4th Gold In 15 Days". NDTV Sports. 18 July 2019.
  24. "Hima Das wins fifth gold of month, returns to favourite event in style". The Indian Express. 20 July 2019.
  25. "Hima Das ruled out of World Championship due to back problem". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  26. "Hima Das Appointed Deputy Superintendent In Assam Police | Other Sports News". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  27. Tamang, Sylvester (25 September 2018) Virat Kohli, Mirabai Chanu Conferred Khel Ratna; Neeraj Chopra, Hima Das Get Arjuna Award. sports.ndtv.com
  28. "Hima Das appointed as UNICEF India's first youth ambassador". India Today. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  29. Singh, Bikash (14 July 2018). "'Golden Girl' Hima Das to be made Assam's sports brand ambassador". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  30. Loiwal, Manogya. "Hima Das: Tracing star sprinter's journey from Assam's rice fields to global stardom". India Today.
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