I’m not calm before my game, I stay charged up: Hima Das on her prep for CWG 2022
Sprinter Hima Das talks about her prep for Commonwealth Games 2022, after a tough phase of injuries over the last two years.
Ace sprinter Hima Das, fondly nicknamed Dhing Express, has her eyes set on a medal at the women’s 4x100m relay in Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. On the field, the 22-year-old says she’s far from being calm. “Khel se pehle main calm nahi rehti hoon, I stay completely charged up. I don’t think too much about the game; masti main rehti hoon. Sochna kya hai... what I do in practice every day, I just have to do the same in the final competition! Par haan, room se nikalne se pehle bhagwan, Maa Kamakhya, mere maa papa aur coach ko yaad karti hoon. Ye mujhe bahut power dete hain,” says the Arjuna awardee and two-times Asian Games gold medallist.
An athlete’s life is laden with struggles alongside good times, and Das has seen a fair share of both. Talking about the time she suffered a major setback due to injuries, and had to miss the Olympics due to Covid-19, she shares, “Last two years were really hard for me — back injury, hamstring injury and Covid-19. I felt bad at first, but then I took it all positively. No pain, no gain... Maine aisa socha ki mujhe thoda aur behtar banne ka time mila.”
Acknowledging the help she received during the tough times, a grateful Das adds, “Athletics Federation of India gave me a lot of support during this time. Kiren Rijiju sir (then Minister of Sports), coach Galina Bukharina, Dr Pratul Sharma, Nabajit Malakar sir, my seniors, friends and family motivated me. I got a lot of energy from all of them to return to the track.”
There’s something else, too, that infused a new positivity in this athlete’s life, and that was a meeting with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. Sharing the life-changing mantra she learned from him, Das says, “When I met Sachin sir, I asked him ki agar kabhi sports life mein aisa time aayega [jab aap khel na sako] toh kya karna chahiye? He told me every athlete goes through injuries, low phases, but during such hard times, those who can control themselves and stay on the right track, only they can move forward. Yeh mera mool mantra hai. I still follow it with all my heart!”
Author Tweets @Nainaarora8