The Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games got underway with a glittering opening ceremony at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) stadium in Jakarta. And all eyes are now on sprinter Hima Das who had made Assam and the whole of the country proud by winning a track-and-field gold at the recently-held IAAF World U-20 championships, as she raced to the finish line in the women’s 400 metres event at Tampere in Finland.
With Indonesia entering the stage, this marks the beginning of the #OpeningAG2018 ! Watch it live on all national tv channels and https://t.co/qVN2hgr1b3 #AsianGames2018 pic.twitter.com/G5M2db6IsR
— Asian Games 2018 (@asiangames2018) August 18, 2018
Eighteen-year-old Hima is among the favourites to win the 400 metres gold in Indonesia along with other medal contenders that include shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, another teen sensation — shooter Manu Bhaker — gymnast Dipa Karmakar, grapplers Vinesh Phogat and Sushil Kumar, pugilist Shiva Thapa and Vikas Krishan and table tennis star Manika Batra, among others.
Meanwhile, family members, relatives, friends and well-wishers of Hima are optimistic that the sprint star will make the nation and her home state proud by winning a medal — a gold medal is what they are rooting for — in the Asiad.
“We are sure that Hima will win a gold medal in the Asian Games and make India and Assam proud once again. We pray to God that she lives upto the hopes and expectations of the entire nation,” her father Ranjit Das said.
She will begin her Asiad journey on August 25.
Shiva is also being touted as a potential medal winner while people here in Assam are also expecting decent performances from the other sportspersons from the State — Pramila Daimary (Archery), Ashmita Chaliha (Badminton), Kabita Devi (Fencing) and Rodali Baruah (Taekwondo) — who are also representing the country in the 18th Asian Games.
#AsianGames2018 | The 5 star sportswomen from #Assam who are representing the nation in the @asiangames2018 : Hima Das (Athletics), Pramila Daimary (Archery), Ashmita Chaliha (Badminton), Kabita Devi (Fencing) and Rodali Baruah (Taekwondo) ahead of the Opening Ceremony. pic.twitter.com/0HhdKwzpVs
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) August 18, 2018
