Indian Sports Icon-Hima Das

Hima Das a girl from Assam’s small village Kandhulimari has brought immense glory to the nation at a very young age. Nicknamed ‘Dhing Express’, she is a youth icon and UNICEF’s Youth Ambassador since 2018. She gained immense attention around the world with her historic win in Poland in 2019. She was the first women athlete to represent India in IAAF World U20 Championship and created history by winning a Gold with a speed of 51.46 seconds.

Back in school, Hima was more inclined towards football and wanted a football career. But her physical education teacher, Nippon Das saw her budding talent and asked her to sprint. And to his surprise when she participated in the district 100m and 200m race, she won gold in both.

Born to a rice cultivator, Hima has never let her financial status come in between her dreams. Due to lack of equipment and proper track, she used to run on muddy football tracks in her early times. But after her win at the district level, Mr Nippon Das decided to bear all her expenses for further participation. Since the initial phase of her sprinting career, no amount of hardship and struggle could stop her. The pace of her success kept on increasing and her journey became an inspiration.

Turning towards her career and achievements, Hima secured a bronze in the first state meet in 100 meters. After this, she went to the finale of the Junior National Championship. The Athletics Federation of India back in 2017 decided to select her for Senior National Championship after her exceptional performance in U-18 National, the Asian and World Youth Championships. She marked her International success with only two months of proper guidance, training, and support. She got selected for the 2018 Common Wealth Games. In the 2018 Asian Games, She made a National Record of 50.49 seconds and bagged a silver medal in 400 meters race held in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia.

The year 2019 was glorious for Hima as she achieved numerous victories in a very concise period. But there comes a small glitch when she was preparing for Tokyo Olympics, she suffered a back injury which made her unfit for a couple of months. But her persistence has taught many to never give up on their dreams.

In 2018, she received the prestigious Arjuna Award and was appointed as UNICEF’s Youth Envoy. Assam Government also appointed her as the State’s Sports Ambassador. The latest glory added to her list was the opportunity of getting appointed as the Deputy Superintendent of Assam Police. The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbanada Sonowal, himself gave the appointment letter to Hima in Guhawati.

It has been a journey of struggle, achievements, failure, pride and glory. But the Hima Das story has just begun!

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