HOW ‘DHING EXPRESS’ HIMA DAS BECAME INDIA’S “GOLDEN GIRL”?

July 12th 2018, the day a young girl from Assam created history when she became the first ever Indian sprinter to win gold at a world track event. Yes, I am talking about the ‘Dhing Express’ Hima Das.

HIMA’S JOURNEY TO BECOME A CHAMPION:

Hima and I have a lot in common, by a lot; I mean just one -our hometown, Nagaon (Assam). Hima is from Dhing, a village in Nagaon. Her first inspiration was her father Ronjit Das, who was a regional football player and a farmer. The paddy field was her first running track, where she used to practice, and plough the field with her father early in the morning.

Hima wanted to be a football player, but soon changed course after seeing no signs of making it to an international league. It was her school teacher who suggested her to take up sprinting instead.

Hima was a winner right from the start as she performed exceptionally well in all the school sporting events. Her excellent speed earned her the nick name the ‘Dhing Express’.

Hima usually showed up at inter-district running events either barefooted or wearing cheap spikes. But her speed was second to none. At a fateful running event, her wind like velocity was enough to win her gold (in both 100m and 200m race), and to impress Nippon Das- her first coach.

Hima Das shifted to Guwahati where she continued to train under Nippon Das and Nabajit Malakar. She broke all the records in state and national level competitions; Hima was all set to make her international debut in 2018.

GOLDEN YEAR FOR THE ‘GOLDEN GIRL’:

2018 was the year Hima earned the title, the ‘Golden Girl’ of India. She made her international debut at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, where she set a national record of 51.32s and finished sixth.

After her debut in the commonwealth, Hima Das went to make history in Finland. Das finished the 400m race at 51.46 seconds and became the first Indian sprinter to win gold in an international event, at the IAAF U-20 World Championships.

She continued her success run in the Asian Games 2018, where she clinched 3 medals for India. She won silver in the 400m race, breaking her own track record of 51s with a new record of 50.79s. Next, she bagged gold medals in the 4×100m women’s relay and the mixed relay; the latter was held for the first time in the Asian Games.

For her achievements on the track, Hima was conferred with the ‘Arjuna Award’ by President Ramnath Kovind in the year 2018.

FROM BAREFOOT TO BRANDED:

Hima’s story is a perfect example for “from rags to riches”. On her first Nationals, she wore a normal pair of running spikes on which she had scribbled ‘Adidas’. Later in 2018 she became the brand ambassador for Adidas and had shoes made in her own name.

EVERY ATHLETE’S WORST NIGHTMARE- INJURY:

Hima’s winning spree was sidelined when she faced a back injury, right after the Asian Games. She was sent to rehab for months and her training came to a halt. However, she recovered and caught up like a champion.

FAST TRACK SUCCESS IN EUROPE:

The ‘Golden Girl’ continued to participate in various events across Europe in 2019. These events were ranked low for someone of Hima’s caliber, yet she was allowed to participate in them. She called them ‘warm-up’ matches before the big event- The Olympics.

Das showed great form in Europe, and won 5 gold medals within a period of 19 days:

THE LADY IN UNIFORM:

On the 10th of February 2021, the Assam Cabinet appointed Hima Das as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

EVERY ATHLETE’S DREAM — the Olympics; and Hima Das is also eyeing the same.

Hima’s dream was to win Gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But the event was called off due to the pandemic. COVID-19 put a stop to all outdoor activities, and for athletes, it was really important to carry forward their training despite all odds. Hima was seen practicing on her lawn to keep herself fit during the lockdown.

CHEER FOR HIMA:

The Olympics will be held in July 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, and the Golden Girl has already started her preparation. I will be cheering for Hima, will you? Let me know in the comments.