The 18-year-old from Assam, who had clocked the fastest times in the two earlier rounds at Tampere, once again produced a strong finish to bring the historic gold in 51.46s. India’s long wait for a track gold at an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships is over. Hima Das, who virtually went into the final as the top seed, lived up to that billing taking the women’s 400m gold at the world under-20 athletics championships at Tampere (Finland) on Thursday. The 18-year-old from Assam, who had clocked the fastest times in the two earlier rounds at Tampere, once again produced a strong finish to bring the historic gold in 51.46s. She was slightly behind around the 300m but as the others appeared to fade away, Hima – who personal best stands at 51.13s, proved that she had enough gas in the tank to take the medal that mattered. Two years ago, when javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra stunned the country by winning the under-20 World in Poland, nobody had an inkling that a track gold was just one edition away. But Hima is no stranger to the big stage. Around this time last year, she took the fifth spot in the 200m at the Youth Worlds in Nairobi. And she was sixth in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in April. Sreeshankar sixth Kerala’s junior national record holder M. Sreeshankar, who went into the men’s long jump as the world’s fourth best junior jumper this year with his personal best 7.99m, finished sixth on Wednesday night with 7.75m, which came in his second attempt. Japan’s Yuki Hashioka won the gold with 8.03m and he was the only jumper to cross 8m. Cuban Maikal Y. Vidal, the world leader, took the silver with 7.94m. Later, Indonesia’s Lalu Muhammed Zohri pulled off a huge surprise, winning the men’s 100m for his country’s first-ever gold at the under-20 Worlds. Running in the eighth lane, Lalu, also the Asian junior champion, clocked 10.18s and emerged as the fastest man. Hima’s coach Nipon Das, who has been a mentor to the rookie since spotting her in January last year, said her confidence was the key to her success. “She does not get overawed by anybody and does not care about her opponents. In every race, her goal is to beat the best with better timing,” Nipon told The Hindu. “Monjai [I wanted this],” Hima had revealed after the race. Nipon pointed out that it was not easy to beat Nirmala, who was six-seven meters ahead in the home stretch.<doc-sep>Hima Das from Assam won a gold medal in a World Championship. (Source: PTI) Hima Das from Assam won a gold medal in a World Championship. (Source: PTI) In a historical landmark for Indian track events, Hima Das on Thursday became the first Indian woman athlete to win a gold medal at the world level as she clinched the top spot in the women’s 400m final race in the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships. Hailing from Dhing village in Assam’s Nagaon distrist, 18-year old Hima was expected to win gold at the tournament, having been the U-20 season leader in this quarter-mile event. She clocked 51.46s to win the historic gold for India. However, this has not been her personal best so far. Hima, who trained in her father’s rice fields in Dhing Village, scripted a journey to the top which is nothing less than spectacular, considering she took up serious racing only last year. The teenager had earlier clocked an Indian U-20 record of 51.32 seconds to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Games 400m final in Gold Coast this year in April. Not only has she improved her timings since then, she has also lowered the Indian U-20 record in 400m to 51.13 seconds while winning gold in the recent National Inter State Championships in Guwahati. No woman before Das has won a gold medal in a World Championship at any level, be it youth, junior or senior. She is also the first Indian to have won a gold in a track event at the world level. With the feat, she has now joined javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold in Poland in the last edition in 2016 in a world record effort. She has also become the first Indian track athlete to have won a medal in the history of this competition.<doc-sep>No athlete from the nation of India has ever won a gold medal in track and field at the Summer Olympics. No female athlete from the nation of 1.3 billion has ever medaled in any track event at the games, period. But 18-year-old Hima Das has the chance to rewrite her country’s record books. The fledgling sprinter took home the nation’s first gold medal in any major track event Thursday, using a furious kick down the final straightaway to handily win the 400 meters under-20 world title. She’s the first runner in India’s history to medal in the IAAF’s junior championship. Das’s win is even more impressive given the context of her career. Her first international gold came just 18 months after her first race. “Her progress just shows how much potential she has. It has been just two years since she first wore spikes,” said coach Nipon Das. “I keep telling Hima only one thing: dream big. Because only a few are blessed with God-given talent. My aim was to try and make sure she is part of the relay team for the Asian Games. But she has surpassed all expectations by winning a world championship gold in the individual event.” Das, no relation to Hima, has been instrumental in his young charge’s success. He has helped develop the former soccer player into the face of track and field in her home state of Assam and, now, for the nation whose colors she’ll likely wear at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He brought her from her father’s rice farm in the Dhing village of the Nagaon district to Assam’s training center in Guhawati, some 87 miles from her home. The center, which specialized in soccer and boxing, didn’t have a dedicated branch for track and field — until the younger Das arrived. “There was no separate wing for athletics but the officials were open to Hima being part of the academy after seeing her performances. Assam is not known to produce runners,” coach Das told the Indian Express. Das will have his work cut out for him as Hima’s career progresses. Her personal record of 51.13 seconds is a strong junior mark, but it would have only placed her fourth at this June’s NCAA track and field championships. There’s clearly still work to be done, but Das’ young age and the tremendous potential she’s shown in just two years as a runner suggest there’s plenty of room to grow. If she can somehow sustain her incredible growth, she could become India’s first athlete to medal in an Olympic track event since 1900. Indians relished her victory online While the U20 championships may not have made an impact in the United States, Das had her nation collectively holding its breath as she slid into her blocks Thursday. When she crossed the finish line with her peers solidly in her rear view, India celebrated the historic moment. Lawmakers, celebrities, and athletes across India feted Das’ big moment on Twitter. Congratulations to our sensational sprint star Hima Das for winning the 400m gold in the World Under-20 Championship. This is India’s first ever track gold in a World Championship. A very proud moment for Assam and India, Hima; now the Olympic podium beckons! #PresidentKovind — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 12, 2018 In the video below, you will see what makes Hima Das, Gold medalist at the world under-20 Athletics Championship, in Finland, so special! This is India’s first ever Gold in a track event at a world championship. I salute her achievement & congratulate her on her historic win. pic.twitter.com/N4q62mVecM — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 13, 2018 Hima Das!!!! ! Here's India's first gold at a global track event.#IAAFTampere2018 pic.twitter.com/9KWqMcmKZY — Nikhil Naz (@NikhilNaz) July 12, 2018 Wow! So proud of you Hima Das. Incredible, historic achievement on becoming the first Indian track athlete to win a medal at any global event winning Gold at women's 400m World U-20 Championships clocking a time of 51.47 seconds. Thank you for the happiness. pic.twitter.com/Cs5wY8sDuM — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) July 12, 2018 Incredible effort from Hima Das for winning gold medal for the country. No words can describe the feelings of this impeccable feat — Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 13, 2018 Proud on u #Hima! First ever in Track & Field, #U20WorldChampionship In history of Sports India, u will b remembered, u are unstoppable, keep going..✌ coming era is looking forwards to India for bigger sports achievements and brighter future!! — Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) July 12, 2018 Das took to Twitter herself to thank her country for its support:<doc-sep>Hima Das celebrates her victory at the World U20 Championship. (Reuters photo) Hima Das celebrates her victory at the World U20 Championship. (Reuters photo) The daughter of a rice farmer from Dhing village in Nagaon district, Hima Das took up running just 18 months ago. On Thursday, she made history by getting India its first ever track gold at a global event by winning the 400 metre final at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. A video of the race shows how Das trails through the first bend and straight. But coming off the final bend, there’s an incredible burst of speed as the teenager easily breaks and wins the race. She finished with a timing of 51.46 seconds. Here’s a video of the incredible race released by the Athletics Federation of India. Here’s another version of the same video: With the victory, Das has joined an elite club of Indian athletes who have won medals at the World U20 Championships, but is the first runner to do so. After the race, Das said she was very proud and thanked everyone who contributed to her victory:<doc-sep>
Sprinter Hima Das scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman athlete to win a gold at the world level as she clinched the top spot in the women's 400m final race in the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships here on July 12. The 18-year-old athlete, a pre-tournament favourite, clocked 51.46s to win the gold, which triggered a wild celebration at the Indian camp. This was though not her personal best as she had clocked 51.13 last month in Guwahti at the National Inter State Championships. No woman before Das has won a gold medal in a World Championship at any level, be it youth, junior or senior. She is also the first Indian — men or women — to have won a gold in a track event at the world level. Running in lane number 4, Das was behind Romania's Andrea Miklos at the final bend but produced a stunning burst during the final stretch to cross the finishing line well ahead of the field. She produced her trademark burst at the final 50m. Miklos took the silver in 52.07 while Taylor Manson of USA was third in 52.28. "I am very happy to win the gold in the World Junior championships. I want to thank all the Indians back home and also those, who were here cheering me. It was very encouraging to have this kind of support," she said after the race. Das, from Dhing village in Assam's Nagaon distrist, now joins the illustrious company of star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold in Poland in the last edition in 2016 in a world record effort. In fact, Das is the first Indian track athlete to have won a medal in the history of this competition. The other medal winners are — Seema Punia (bronze in discus in 2002) and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (bronze in discus in 2014). Das was the favourite to win gold as she is the U-20 season leader in this quarter-mile event. Her rise has been nothing less than meteoric as she took up serious running only last year. Das had earlier clocked an Indian U-20 record of 51.32 seconds to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Games 400m final in Gold Coast in April. Since then, she has gone onto improving her timings. She lowered the Indian U-20 record in 400m to 51.13 seconds while winning gold in the recent National Inter State Championships in Guwahati. Congratulating Das, Athletics Federation of India President Adille Sumariwalla said, "Very proud of Hima for creating history. It is one of the proudest moments of my life and for Indian athletics. Congratulations to Hima and her coaches, the government and SAI for their support to AFI.