Five gold medal in less than three weeks, Hima Das has already been crowned the golden girl of India’s track and field.
It is a rare occurrence for an Indian athlete to be in such top form and be so consistent in track and field. The internet is abuzz with congratulatory messages and expectations of how India’s search for their maiden medal at the track and field events in the Olympics could be over soon.
Hima’s ‘golden run’ started on 2 July when she won 200m Gold in Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland. Five days later on 7 July, she won 200m gold at the Kutno Athletics Meet, again in Poland. Next week on 13 July she won her third Gold at the Kladno Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic. Her fourth gold came on 17 July in the 200m race at the Tabor Athletics Meet, also in the Czech Republic.
However, a look at her timings should temper those expectations a little.
So, the best Hima could manage at these events was 23.25 seconds.
Earlier this year in March, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) released the qualifying standards for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and according to it the qualification timing for 200m is 22.80 seconds.
Although it doesn’t demean Hima’s achievement, it is a reality check for fans whose expectations are skyrocketing with every passing day.
Even in her most recent conquest in her pet event of 400m at the Nove Mesto nad Metuji Grand Prix, Hima might have won the gold but she was again nowhere near her personal best.
Her timing of 52.09 seconds was her season’s best but it was way off the qualification-mark – both for the World Athletics Championship and the Olympics as well or her personal best of 50.79 seconds.
Not only the World Championships, the Olympics has also continued to be a distant dream for her.
If we take a look at Hima’s competitors, it will also tell a similar story, about the standard of competition at Hima’s disposal.
Among her competitors from her one of the races in Tabor, the three most experienced ones were no match for Hima on current form.
Her previous three events weren’t much different.
Even in the 400m event the standard of competitions was questionable. The event had two groups - A and B. The A group in which Das ran was an all-Indian contest and she was the best among the lot. So, the result was on predicted lines.
A look at the standard and the level of the events where Hima registered her triumphs in the past couple of weeks also doesn’t help the cause.
IAAF ranks its events based on level of competition and the ranks of the athletes participating in it.
However, Hima is just doing everything right to move towards her ultimate goal. She is training hard, competing and winning all her races. And we all know that winning is a good habit.
As a result if tomorrow Hima Das doesn’t qualify for the Olympics, all hell could break loose.
We certainly don’t want that.
The fans should be realistic with their expectations which in turn will also help Hima have her feet on the ground, and closer to her Olympics dream.
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