NEW DELHI: Remember the media created brouhaha and social media trumpeteering around Hima Das’s “sensational” month of results between July 2 and 20 when the Indian sprinter claimed five Gold medals on the trot in some low profile sprint events in Europe?
Fast forwarding to the present comes the not really surprising news that the world junior champion’s participation in the World Championships relay events is highly doubtful after the 19-year-old Assamese runner was left out of the initial entries.
Her name can still be added by September 16 midnight, but not after that, it needs noting.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had on September 9 named seven women, including Hima, for the 4x400m relay and 4x400m mixed relay races. But PTI reports that Hima’s name was missing from the entry of Indian women athletes for the two relay races submitted by AFI to the IAAF for the September 27 to October 6 showpiece event in Doha.
Jisna Mathew, MR Poovamma, Revathi Veeramani, Subha Venkatesan, V K Vismaya and Ramraj Vithya have been entered for the women’s 4x400m relay. For the record, the IAAF allows only six names to be entered for the relay races.
As for the 4x400m mixed relay race, Jisna, Poovamma and Vismaya have been named along with Jacob Amoj, Muhammed Anas and Noah Tom Nirmal, PTI reports.
The non-inclusion of Hima in the list has put the focus back (better late than never) on the lower back injury she has been carrying since the Asian Games last year.
Hima pulled out of the individual 400m heats during the Asian Championships in Doha in April midway through the race, PTI further reports.
Asked about the star athlete’s situation, AFI president Adille Sumariwalla put the proper (rather than media and social handles-hyped) perspective on the matter. “If she runs and pulls out midway, the (relay) team will suffer. She will have to be fit to run the race. Also, she is just 20 and it is better to preserve her for the Olympics. She is young and talented and she will peak by the time of 2024 Olympics, so we should not put undue pressure on her,” he told the newswire.
