When she was on the home run stretch in the last few seconds of the 400m women’s final race at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships, the golden girl Hima Das knew just one thing, she was about to put her nondescript village on the world map.
History was made as Das became the first Indian track athlete to win a medal at any global event. With a rather conservative approach, she was topped by four athletes for two-thirds of the race but overtook all of them in the last 80 seconds for the victory.
Rise Of The Golden Girl
Hima Das born in Nagaon, Assam is the eldest of four children who initially thought of considering a career in football, later suggested to sprint, first competed globally at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where she finished 6th.
Coach Nipon Das spotted her at an inter-district meet and eventually had her shifted to Guwahati for proper training.
One For The Nation And Many More To Come
The young quarter miler broke down as the national anthem of India was played after the medal ceremony. It moved many, including Prime Minister Modi himself who tweeted about it later.
Das being the daughter of a farmer went through a harsh childhood and was highly reluctant of speaking about her past, only looking at the future optimistically. Few may mistake this as a disrespect to her roots but she just simply bore a positive attitude.
Das joined the glorious cadre of star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold in Poland in a world record effort.
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The AFI Tweet Controversy
As the nation celebrated the gold, the Athletics Federation of India inappropriately tweeted about Hima not being fluent in English in a tweet congratulating her. AFI saw the rage of Indians for the comment directly reflecting upon her rural background.
The tweet angered followers of AFI and immediately received a whiplash of replies for the mockery.
AFI later tweeted an apology stating that they only meant to show her pluckiness on and off track. The provoked backlash continued even after the explanation. But soon ended after realizing that it was not negative at all.
Government Support For Olympics
Hima Das has been assured of end to end government support till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. After the sensational performance of the sprinter at the World Championships, she was inducted into the sports ministry’s TOP scheme.
The athlete has been given an out-pocket allowance (OPA) of Rs. 50,000 per month and funding to be trained with better equipment and facilities.
More Than Just Running
Not only did Hima Das script history by winning the gold at a global track event, she has always been a socially conscious youngster who initiated the demolition of liquor vends in her village Dhing and its neighbourhood.
She has destroyed not just records but many liquor stalls too, by protesting for their ouster from the village. She will continue to campaign for protests against liquor and wants to end illegal migration too.
The athlete is fondly called “Dhing Express” by everyone in the village. Her acts of courage and determination have become an inspiration to many in her village and in the country.
“I told her that we were all awake to watch her run on television and she cried,” Ranjit Das, Hima’s father, who is a rice farmer from Assam’s Nagaon district.
“The girl has the guts to do anything and everything. She is never scared to speak out against illegal things. She is a role model for us and for the country.”
-said neighours of Das.
She is doing more than just running, she is carrying the nation on her shoulders at this tender age. She also has high hopes that this historic event will bring some change in the sports atmosphere in India.
Image Sources: Google Images, Getty Images
Sources: Wikipedia, Times of India, Republic
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