'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Indian athlete, Hima Das has captured the country’s imagination with her stellar performances and has catapulted herself into stardom. In fact, before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was postponed, she represented one of the nation’s best hopes to participate at the event.
However, Hima Das hasn’t found it easy to establish herself as a premier athlete, with her having to battle several impediments on her way.
In a Live Instagram session with Chennai Super Kings cricketer Suresh Raina, Hima Das opened up on her troubles at the start of her career, even emotionally quipping that she used to write ‘Adidas’ on her pair of normal running shoes.
“When I started running, I ran barefoot. But in my first Nationals, my father brought running shoes with spikes on them. It was just a normal pair of running shoes. I wrote ‘Adidas’ on the shoes with my hand. You never know what fate can do, Adidas is now making shoes with my name,” Hima Das said.
Back in 2018, the Indian athlete won the gold medal at the World U-20 Championships in Finland, meaning that she firmly cast herself among the elite athletes in the country.
Subsequently, Adidas decided to join hands with Hima Das and signed a deal with the latter, wherein the former would supply her with equipment. At present, the 20-year-old uses custom-made shoes by Adidas, which has ‘Hima Das’ written on one side with the other side having the words, ‘create history’.
Apart from that, Hima Das also mentioned how she felt overjoyed when she met Sachin Tendulkar. She elaborated that she was overwhelmed and that she still remembers the conversation the pair had.
The Indian interest in athletics has been on a gradual upward curve since the 2018 Asian Games and Hima Das seems to have played a pivotal role in the same. However, the lockdown measures due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has meant that the sport has been put on hold, akin to its contemporaries.
Hima Das is keeping herself positive during quarantine
Hima Das though, is using the time to keep herself in pristine shape and prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, which is now slated to take place in 2021. Furthermore, she emphasised the importance of staying positive during these times and finding a silver lining even among all the grey clouds.
“I am enjoying and taking things positively during this lockdown. We are not allowed to go to the ground. I work out in my room. I practice yoga so that my blood circulation is good. I am taking care of my diet, I am eating less, no meat at all and eating a lot of fruits,” she elaborated.
Additionally, she opined that the extra time due to the quarantine could help her put her best foot forward as far as qualification for the Tokyo Olympics is concerned.
“I have come out of my injury and I am fit. I am just thinking that I have to keep myself fit so that I can just start off once the lockdown is over and start preparing for Olympics,” Hima Das concluded.
