I never run for medals, I always run to improve my timing, says Hima Das
Getty
India’s newest athletics sensation Hima Das has stated that her ambition when taking the track and field game is to chase timings but not medals. She believes in keeping the things simple and small by improvising self-performance and not putting herself to compare with other competitors.
Coming from a farming background in central Assam’s Nagaon district in 2000, 18-year-old sprinter Das was fondly called as 'Dhing Express' when he stunned everyone to win a gold medal in track and field events in Junior World Athletics Championship. Hima holds the current Indian national record in 400 meters with a timing of 50.79 seconds in 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. Hima was received at the LPGB airport by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and cabinet colleagues.
“I never run for medals, I always run to improve my timing. For athletes, it is very difficult to improve your timing. There is only a particular time period till which you can push yourself and improve. My focus is to train hard and reduce my timing by as much as I can and as soon as possible,” Hima said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
At her early stage of life, Hima had a keen interest in football. However, then, she shifted her focus to sprinting as a career on the advice her
“My father was also a sportsperson and he encouraged me to take up sports. There is a lot of talent in villages but the opportunities are not there. I decided to break out and that is why I have reached where I have. I was told I would do well in athletics and I gave it a shot. I want to thank the Athletics Federation of India for all the support,” the Asian Games medallist said.
“The word
Cricket FootBall Kabaddi
Basketball Hockey
SportsCafe
