Telling fact from fiction can sometimes be tricky on social media, and former India batter Virender Sehwag learned it the hard way on Saturday. The double World Cup winner shared a tweet celebrating sprinter Hima Das' purported 400m gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games much to the amusement of those who follow athletics.
The video which went viral was in fact that of Das winning the 400m at the U-20 athletics World Championships in Tampere, Finland in 2018, when she became the first Indian to win that title. The clip also did the rounds on WhatsApp with many users sharing it without corroboration.
Sehwag quote-tweeted the original post—shared by a handle named Pegasus—with the caption, “What a win! Indian athletes have totally arrived. Many congratulations to Hima Das on winning gold in the 400m at the Commonwealth Games. Fakr Hai."
The 43-year-old deleted the tweet on being called out.
The track and field competitions, scheduled to take place at the Alexander Stadium, start only on Tuesday. And Das will compete only in the 200m, which will take place on August 4. The semi-finals and final will take place on August 5 and 6, respectively.
Das, 22, last ran a competitive 400m in 2019. She has since moved to 100m and 200m events and also competes in the 4x100m relay. Her last competitive event was the inter-state meet in Chennai where she won the 100m and was part of the victorious 4X100m relay squad.
{{/usCountry}}Das, 22, last ran a competitive 400m in 2019. She has since moved to 100m and 200m events and also competes in the 4x100m relay. Her last competitive event was the inter-state meet in Chennai where she won the 100m and was part of the victorious 4X100m relay squad.
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