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After Lovlina Borgohain, All Eyes On the 'Dhing Express', Can Hima Das Qualify for Tokyo Olympics?

Star sprinter Hima Das is confident that the Indian women's 4x100m relay team, of which she is a part, can qualify for the Tokyo Olympics

Sentinel Digital Desk

GUWAHATI: After boxer Lovlina Borgohain qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, the fans' expectations from Hima have risen tremendously as time flies on for the Olympics.

Notably, Hima's fans and well-wisher hope that like Lovlina, she will also bring glory to Assam as well as the country.

This year, Hima will have to exhibit her best performance in the upcoming inter-state athletics championship scheduled to be held in Patiala, Punjab from June 24 to June 28 to qualify for the next Olympics game. However, the personal sprint races of 200 metres and 4x100 metres would be two more challenges for the Assam sensation.

Hima, who is yet to qualify for the upcoming Olympics, is set to be a key member of the Indian 4x100m relay quartet, with the other three likely to be national record holder Dutee Chand, Archana Susenndran, and S Dhanalakshmi.

The Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic last year, will be held from July 23 to August 8 this year.

Hima set a national record of 50.79 seconds in 400m during the 2018 Asian Games but a back injury forced her to pull out midway through the one-lap race at the Doha Asian Championships in April 2019.

She ran two 400m races in the Czech Republic in 2019 but she only clocked 53.07s in her last race in August that year. She missed the 2019 World Championships in September due to a back injury.

Earlier, Lovlina Borgohain, Assam's woman boxer, becomes the first woman pugilist from Assam to qualify for the Olympics. She would be seen participating in the Women's 69 kg Welterweight category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She secured a berth for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 with a bronze medal finish in the 2020 Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympic qualifiers.

Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter to congratulate her. He tweeted, "A matter of great joy and pride for us as @LovlinaBorgohai becomes the first woman pugilist from Assam to qualify for the #Olympics. My heartiest Congratulations to you Lovlina. You have our finest wishes for the big moment. May you continue to shine and succeed."

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