'Dhing Express' Hima Das changes track

Ever since the 2019 Doha Asian championship and a couple of lower competitions in the Czech Republic, a lower-back injury has kept star sprinter and 2018 Asian Games silver medallist out of action in 400m. So, when asked when she would return to this event, the Assam athlete, who became a 400m sensation after the 2018 World Juniors’ gold in Tampere, said: “There is no hurry. It all depends on how the body responds and what the management (coaches, Athletics Federation of India, physios) suggests.” While the buzz is that she might return to 400m at the Asian Games next year, the 22-year-old indicated on Thursday that the wait could get longer. She wants to test herself in the 200m event at the continental games in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Having deferred her return to an event close to her heart, the Dhing Express has moved her focus to the 200m sprint. At the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the sprinter missed the women’s 200m final by the barest of margins. She clocked 23.42s in the semifinals, 0.01s slower than Australian Ella Conolly’s automatic qualifying time of 23.41s. Reflecting on that setback, Hima said: “It hurts but you have to accept it. There will be good days and ones that don’t go in your favour. I chase time and not medals, and I was happy with my timing. It’s a different thing, I couldn’t reach the final, but the experience will help me at the Asiad.” Asked about the positives to take from this race, she said: “The importance of a microsecond in the race of life.” The Covid-19 infection she suffered last year, prolonged her struggle to come back from the 2018 injury. After those adversities, she said CWG was a decent show. Initially, she wasn’t selected for the event, but her