Hima Das qualifies for Tokyo Olympics 2021, official confirmation soon

GUWAHATI: ‘Dhing Express’ Hima Das has qualified for Tokyo Olympics 2021 to represent India. However, an official announcement of the qualification of the sprinter is yet to be issued by the authorities concerned.

When contacted, Assam Athletics Association president and Athletics Federation of India vice president Lakhya Konwar told Inside Northeast that an official confirmation was yet to be issued. "She'll definitely qualify for the 4x400m relay. The official declaration will come soon," he said.

Sprinter Hima Das holds the current Indian national record in 400 metres with a timing of 50.79 s that she clocked at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships.

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Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga began 2021 promising that the delayed Tokyo Olympics would go ahead in July, even as Japan contends with a surge in coronavirus cases and the rising cost of an event that is becoming increasingly unpopular with the public.

“The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held this summer,” Suga said in a written statement for the New Year, describing the event as a symbol of world unity. “We will make steady preparations to realise a safe and secure tournament.”

Japan and the International Olympic Committee decided last March to postpone the games by a year as the coronavirus pandemic sent much of the world into lockdown.

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