Hima Das, athlete: From obscurity to fame in 51 seconds

Before July 12 this year, not many would have known where Dhing was. That changed after a run in Tampere, Finland, which fetched Assam girl Hima Das the 400m gold

Before July 12 this year, not many would have known where Dhing was. That changed after a run in Tampere, Finland, which fetched Assam girl Hima Das the 400m gold in the world under-20 championship, the first by an Indian on the track. The journey from relative obscurity to fame took all of 51.46 seconds. Given the gap she opened up on the homestretch, it could actually have been shorter.

Athlete Hima Das won the gold in 400 m world under-20 championship in July, 2018, the first by an Indian on the track. (AFP)

Hima hasn’t looked back since. They now call her the Dhing Express. The Commonwealth Games -- prior to the world championship -- where Das took part in the 400m and the 4x400m relay, seemed to have prepared her for a glorious take-off. After twice breaking the national record to win the 400m silver at the 2018 Asian Games, the 4x400m relay gold and the mixed relay silver, Das, already an Arjuna award winner, is still flying. Yet she says nothing’s really changed. “Personally, I don’t think much has changed, neither do I want life to change so soon. I only want to think about training and running in my next event. Yes, when I go back home, people try to touch me, hug me... that’s when I get the feeling that I have achieved something,” Das recently said.