Hima Das Wins Silver in Women’s 400 Meters

August 27, 2018 Pratik Asthana Sports Scoops 0

Jakarta, 26 August 2018: 18-year old Indian runner, Hima Das, won Team India a silver medal in the Women’s 400 Meters Final at the ongoing 2018 Asian Games. She finished only behind Salwa Naser of Bahrain in the final, which took place at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here on Sunday. ?

Apart from bringing glory to the country in the form of the 32nd medal of the ongoing Asian competition, Hima Das’ timing of 50.79 seconds is a new national record. What is even more noteworthy is the fact that the current Under-20 world champion’s timing was better than the previous games record of 50.86. In the same event, another Indian, Nirmala Sheoran, clocked 52.96 seconds to finish fourth.

“I don’t chase medals, I chase time,” said the ace Indian runner after an impressive 6th place finish in the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, where she clocked 51.32 seconds. She then went on to clock 51.46 seconds at the recent Under-20 World Championships in Tampere, Finland, and while that was a bit slower, it was good enough to get her gold!

Hima Das
Image courtesy: Indian Express

Here in Jakarta, she broke the national record in the qualifications itself. She clocked 51.00 seconds and broke a 14-year old record of Manjeet Kaur, who had 51.05 seconds. She then went on to better her own record in the final, where she clocked 50.79 seconds, becoming the first Indian woman to clock a score below 51 seconds, and also bagging a silver medal for herself and for the country.

The teenager’s specialty is that she saves her best for last, giving herself an extra boost in the last 100-200 meters of the race. At the recent U-20 World Championships too, she overtook 3-4 opponents in the last 80-odd meters to claim gold, and she is an incredible prospect for India in the next few years.

She didn’t waste time in posting her happiness on her Twitter handle:

Have a look at that lovely run towards the end:

For all latest updates on the 2018 Asian Games, visit Sports Team of India.

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