Podcast: Hima Das Recalls World U-20 Championships Gold Medal

Sprinter Hima Das recalls her historic gold at the U-20 World Championships in a chat with The Quint.

Sprinter Hima Das recalled her historic gold at the U-20 World Championships in a chat with The Quint. She became the first Indian to win a gold at an international track event in July this year.

Das explained how the entire world got to know about her feat after the President of India congratulated her on Twitter.

When I ran in Finland, no one got to know. India’s president tweeted about it and just five minutes later and everyone got to know that I had won a gold. Later, I heard I was the first one to win a gold in a (international) track event.

Hima Das

Hima hadn't realised the gravity of her achievement until she scrolled through social media on the next day.

The day I won the medal wasn’t that special. So I ran the race, took the medal and came back to my room and slept. In the next day when I went on Facebook, I saw that there were only my photos. Then I saw the tweets by various film stars and politicians. Then I thought about what I had achieved. I got a bit emotional as well.

Hima Das

The sprinter, who usually doesn't get emotional while standing on the podium, couldn't control her tears when she heard the national anthem.

I have cried a lot in my childhood, while fighting with my brothers. All my tears were out at that time, now tears don’t come out. So when the anthem started, I don’t know how my tears were out. But, those two tears which came out, it was accepted happily by our fellow Indians.  

Hima Das