Sprint sensation Hima Das on Saturday suffered an injury scare after pulling a muscle during the 100m heats at the ongoing National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Patiala. However, the severity of her injury could not be ascertained, reported Sportstar.
Hima, who is on the verge of missing out on Tokyo Olympics as she is yet to qualify for the mega event, did complete the race and finished third in heat 3 with a timing of 12.01 seconds. In the process, she also qualified for the final to be held on Saturday evening, but her participation in the title race is now in doubt owing to the injury, the report claimed.
“We hope Hima Das recovers ASAP after muscle pull during 100m heats this morning at Inter-State meet,” the Athletics Federation informed on its Twitter handle.
If the injury turns out to be serious, it will be a crushing blow to 4x100m women's relay team's qualification bid for the Tokyo Games as Hima is a vital member of the quartet, which also comprises Dutee Chand, Dhanalakshmi, and Archana Suseendran.
Hima’s Tokyo dream would be dashed if she doesn't make it to the relay team. The Assamese sprinter, however, is also trying to qualify for the 200m event at the Games.
Hima, who has had long-standing lower back injury concerns, ran her personal best of 22.88 seconds in 200m at the IGP 4 but missed the automatic qualification mark of 22.80 seconds. The ongoing meet is the last chance for Hima and Dutee to punch a ticket for the Tokyo Games.
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