Indian medal hopes at the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships, currently underway in Doha, suffered a massive setback after ace sprinter Hima Das of Assam pulled out of the women’s 400 metres heat due to a back injury.
Hima, also known as Dhing Express and Assam Express, after her meteoric rise in international rankings since winning a Gold at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships followed by her performance in the Asian Games in Indonesia last year failed to complete her race and was visibly in great discomfort.
The Athletics Federation of India (AIF), however, stated that the injury was “nothing serious” and that “she will be OK within a day or two”.
Her compatriot in the event, Poovamma Raju Machettira, reached the final clocking 52.46 secs.
