Hima Das is an Indian sprinter from Assam, best known for becoming the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at a World Athletics U20 Championships, achieved in the women's 400 metres at Tampere, Finland, in July 2018. Nicknamed the "Dhing Express" after her hometown, she is regarded as one of India's foremost sprinting talents and competes in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m events.
| Full name | Hima Das |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 January 2000 |
| Birthplace | Kandhulimari, near Dhing, Nagaon district, Assam, India |
| Nickname | Dhing Express |
| Sport | Athletics (sprints) |
| Events | 100 m, 200 m, 400 m |
| Coach | Nipon Das (early); Galina Bukharina (later) |
| Honours | Arjuna Award (2018); Padma Shri (2021) |
| UNICEF role | India's first UNICEF Youth Ambassador (appointed 2018) |
Hima Das was born on 9 January 2000 in Kandhulimari village near Dhing in Nagaon district, Assam, to Ronjit Das and Jonali Das, a family engaged in paddy cultivation. She initially played football with boys in her village before being persuaded to take up athletics. She was spotted by coach Nipon Das, who arranged for her to train in Guwahati. She subsequently came under the guidance of Galina Bukharina at the national camp.
Hima first drew national attention at the Federation Cup in Patiala in 2018, where she clocked a strong time in the 400 m. She represented India at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, finishing sixth in the women's 400 m final, the first Indian woman to reach the final of that event at the Games.
On 12 July 2018, Hima won the women's 400 m final at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere with a timing of 51.46 seconds, becoming the first Indian athlete (male or female) to win gold in a track event at a global athletics championship at any age category.
At the Asian Games in Jakarta, Hima won a silver medal in the women's 400 m, setting a national record of 50.79 seconds. She also won gold as part of the women's 4×400 m relay team and silver in the mixed 4×400 m relay.
In July 2019, during a tour of Europe, Hima won five gold medals within a span of about three weeks at lower-tier meets in Poland and the Czech Republic, predominantly in the 200 m, drawing wide public attention in India.
She represented India at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha as part of the mixed 4×400 m relay. Recurring back injuries affected her participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic cycle. She continued to compete in domestic and Asian-level meets thereafter, including the National Games and Federation Cup events.
Hima Das's gold at Tampere in 2018 marked a historic moment for Indian track athletics, a discipline in which Indians had traditionally underperformed at the global level. Her rise from a rural farming background in Assam to international success has been credited with expanding interest in athletics in the North East and inspiring a generation of young Indian sprinters. Her national record in the 400 m and her contribution to relay teams have placed her among the leading figures of Indian athletics in the late 2010s.