National Athletics C'Ship: Hima Das eyes Commonwealth Games spot, says hamstring not a concern

The sprinter is hoping to bag the 100 and 200m spots for the Commonwealth Games at the 61st National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship.

Hima Das is participating in the 61st National Inter-State Athletics Championship in Chennai

" Sabko photo dungi " says Hima Das as she signs autographs and poses for photos on the sidelines. The 22- year-old from Assam topped her heat and is third overall, clocking 11.67 seconds, in the 100m qualifying round, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Hima rose to fame after clinching a historic gold medal at the World Under-20 championships in Finland and broke the national record for the 400m at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

However, in the recent past, she has given the 400m a miss to concentrate more on the 100/200m dash.

Hima is back in the limelight after missing the cut for the Tokyo Olympics, owing to to a hamstring injury. The sprinter said her hamstring was not a matter of concern any longer and she was ready for the ongoing championships and what lies ahead.

“I competed in Turkey in the 100m, before this event and achieved my best timing. So, I am hoping for a good performance here, since this is the qualifying tournament for the Commonwealth games" she says.

While her performance in the qualifying round at the ongoing Inter-State meet wasn't the best according to her standards, Hima will be hoping to improve that in the next few days, with Dutee Chand providing tough competition in her category.