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What's the story?
Have you ever seen a bullet flying out of the nozzle of a gun, just as the trigger was pulled? Have you seen it streamline through the air and with unwavering determination scurry to its target?
The doe-eyed 18-year-old Assamese was that razor sharp bullet today at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta as she shot across the track in blue with magic in her feet towards the finish line, her target for the day.
In the Heat Qualifiers for the Women's 400-metre races on August 25, Hima Das sprinted ahead with full gusto to topple the National Record and create a new one and ensured a spot for herself in the 400-metre Finals at the ongoing Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games!
In case you didn't know...
The name Hima Das has been a chant on the lips of the Indians ever since the Guwahati-born sprinter raced into the hearts of millions when she clinched the gold medal in the Women’s 400-metre event at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
With that win, she gave the beacon to the Athletics World that she is the one to watch out for! Hima had registered a time of 51.46 seconds in the final at the Ratina Stadium to become the first Indian athlete to win gold in a World Championship across all age groups.
The heart of the matter
Das is the embodiment of bubbling energy and a lot of swagger coupled with that happy-go-lucky attitude but fixed morals.
Out to conquer the world, Das left no stones unturned as she began her Asian Games campaign on a strong note with a win that broke the National Record! In her 400 metre race, Das rushed to the finish line in just 51.00 seconds and sailed into the second position of the match and won a ticket to the 400-metre Finals!
The person who out-sped Hima was Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser with her ashen locks flowing in the wind as she bolted towards the finish line in 50:86 seconds and in the process created a Games Record in doing that!
Hima Das started strong and by the middle of the match, we could see her racing way ahead till it was just her and Naser running abreast of each other.
Falling short by just 0.14 seconds, Das missed out on topping the Heat list but made sure that she broke a National Record enroute to qualifying for the 400-metre finals!
It was back in 2004 that Punjab-born Manjit Kaur installed the National Record of 51.05 seconds and a good 14 years later, Hima Das has toppled over Kaur and crowned herself with the holder of the National Record at just 51.00 seconds!
What's next?
With this cracker of a beginning to Das's campaign, we can only predict and let our hopes soar as she competes in the Finals for the 400-metre event tomorrow. By breaking the National Record, Das has created history yet once again and we cannot be more excited for what is next in store from the powerhouse.
