Dhing Express, Hima Das, has secured first division and letter marks (80 or above) in Assamese in HS examination results on May 25, 2019. Despite being diagnosed with spondylitis of the lumbar vertebrae, she appeared for her examination from the Dhing College in Arts and Humanities stream for the Class 12th board exams.
Reports claimed that the 'Dhing Express' scored 69.8 percent, and it is also mentioned that the she appeared for the examination while she was preparing for the 400m relay.
The sprinter from Assam's Kandhulimari village in Nagaon district was a star overnight but she realises the importance of education. Earlier this year, while talking to India Today Hima described about how she was juggling between training and studying for her board exams during those days. With almost a dozen competitive race crowns in her kitty, Hima before the exam told PTI, “I am looking at some major tournaments in 2019 and I am trying to focus on my training along with taking examination.”
Hima appeared for her board exams starting on February 12 which went on till the middle of March. During those days, she spent time between her home and Guwahati's Sports Authority of India’s hostels, which is 120kms away. “I have made my schedule in such a way that whenever I am get time from studies, I do my training,” said Hima, the only Indian woman to have won a track and field gold at the world level.
Hima face financial crisis every day as she comes from a family where her father Ranjit Das owns just a two bigha plot of land and mother Junali is a housewife. The land is the only source of income for a family of six. The eldest of four siblings, Hima is now being treated for spondylitis of the lumbar vertebrae, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The star athlete has recently clinched gold in the women’s 400m race in the Federation Cup in March. Despite the achievement, she narrowly failed to qualify for the Asian Championships on the final day of the competition. The 400m World Under-20 champion was religiously prepping for her upcoming competition World Relays, and now will need to rehabilitate and take medication in order to recover from her lower back injury.
The 20-year-old was disqualified in the previous competition she took part in – the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha – due to a similar injury. Das is reportedly travelling to Spala, Poland, to continue her rehabilitation.
READ: Please Don’t Disturb, Hima Das Appeals To Fans After Asiad Loss
Previously, Hima stood fourth in her first race of the year on March 8 at the 3rd Indian Grand Prix. This year, she made it to the ‘Forbes India 30 Under 30’ list. She has also been appointed as the country’s first youth ambassador to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) India, recently.
Last year, she clinched a silver medal in the women’s 400m final of the Asian Games, clocking 50.79 seconds. Again the same year, Hima along with her teammates — Mohd Anas, Poovamma and Arokia Rajiv — bagged a silver in the 400m mixed relay. This was the first time the event debuted at the Asiad. The Indian team clocked three minutes and 15.71 seconds to finish behind Bahrain (3:11.89).
In July last year, Hima proved her mettle by becoming the first Indian woman to win gold at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships, in Tampere, Finland. During the track events, the sprinter earned India’s first-ever gold, clocking 51.46 seconds in the 400-metre women’s final.
Hima had also won gold in 4x400m women’s relay at the last Asian Games and was among the 20 recipients of the prestigious Arjuna award this year
Before Federation Cup, she was on a one-month break from training since she was focusing on her Class 12th examinations.
Hima also showed a brilliant performance at the 21st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in April this year when she qualified for the final of the women’s 400m event, registering a personal best of 51.53 seconds timing. Thus she became the first Indian woman to qualify for an athletic track CWG final. Unfortunately, she finished sixth in the final.
Feature Image Credit: IAAF / Twitter
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