Five international gold medals in less than 20 days. Not a scenario that comes to mind as far as Indian athletics is concerned. But a 19-year-old from Assam has suddenly made that a reality and, naturally, is in the limelight.
But does Hima Das’s apparently awesome feat need a reality check? The answer to that should be a resounding yes.
Poznan, Kunto, Kladno, Tabor — these names would not ring a bell to an average Indian. But Hima has perhaps changed all that. Five gold medals on the trot, from July 2 to July 20 — four in 200m and one in 400m.
But fact is, despite the current limelight, Hima has actually performed better earlier — the silver medal at the Asian Games in 400m being the high point of her career. Her timing of 50.79sec was a national record and is her personal best till date. To put things in perspective, when Hima won the gold at Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, on July 20, she clocked 52.09 seconds, a far cry from her best.
And to even qualify for Tokyo Olympics in 400m, she will have to touch 51.35.
The 400 is her pet event, and not the 200m in which she had won the other four gold medals in July. According to Nipon Das, Hima’s long-time coach, she only took part in 200m as she had got injured.
Hima is considered a medal prospect in the international arena, but her talent needs proper guidance. So what is the Athletic Federation of India (AFI) planning for her?
Raj Mohan (assistant coach of India athletes in 400m), told The Telegraph from Spala, Poland: “We sent her to Poland and the Czech Republic meets as we wanted to build up her confidence and speed in 200m. Now we will be concentrating on her pace in each 100m span. Plus there will be specific training patterns so that she can peak in time for the Worlds.”
Hima’s next target is the Brno Grand Prix in Czech Republic on August 28. “We are also trying for her to take part in more European meets where she will face tougher competition,” said Mohan.
According to her personal coach Das, if Hima qualifies for the Olympics, it will be an achievement.
“I am very proud of Hima. She is doing her best. But yes, these meets (where she won gold medals) are not really of Olympic or World standards.
“I will be extremely proud if she qualifies for the Tokyo Olympics. And if she keeps improving, then we may perhaps get a coveted Olympic medal in track events in the 2024 Games,” Das said from Guwahati.
But how far will Hima need to improve on her current form to meet those goals?
Hima is yet to qualify in either 200m or 400m for the World Championships, to be held in Doha from September 26 to October 6. The qualifying mark stands at 23.02 and 51.80 for the 200 and 400, respectively. Hima has not touched these times while winning gold.
According to the ranks of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), two of Hima’s five events were ranked an F, the lowest IAAF can rank a meet. The other three events the 19-year-old participated in got an E.
The world record in women’s 400m is held by Marita Koch (erstwhile East Germany). She clocked 47.60 sec in 1985. The reigning world champion is Phyllis Francis of the US (49.92 seconds in 2017).
France’s Marie-José Pérec owns the Olympic record. Her timing of 48.25 seconds have stood since 1996. At the Rio Games in 2016, Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas won gold (49.44 seconds). To even come close to these timings, Hima will have to take a long hard look at her own timings.
