Ace India sprinter Hima Das will not be participating in the upcoming 2019 World Athletics Championships due to a back injury.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Wednesday took to Twitter to provide the information, saying: “Unfortunately 400m athlete Hima Das will not compete at the World Championships 2019 in Doha due to back injury.”
Unfortunately 400m athlete #HimaDas will not compete at the @iaaforg World Championships 2019 #Doha2019 due to back injury.@g_rajaraman @Padmadeo @pragges @Vimalsports @kannandelhi @DiggySinghDeo @AndrewAmsan @IndiaSports @Media_SAI @imrahultrehan pic.twitter.com/RZ6CnGvTZo
— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) September 18, 2019
On 9 September, Hima was among the seven women, who were named by the AFI for the 4x400m relay and 4x400m mixed relay races at the World Championships slated to be held from 27 September to 6 October in Doha.
Sprinter Dutee Chand was later added in 100m after she received an invite from IAAF.
The ace sprinter from Assam has been suffering from a lower back pain after competing at the Asian Games last year. At the Asian Championships in Doha in April, she had pulled out of the individual 400m heats midway through the race.
From July to August, Hima won six gold medals in different events (4 in 200m, one in 300m and one in 400m) in European races, though the field in most of them has been mediocre.
Hima’s last (sixth) gold came in women’s 300m race at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter event in Czech Republic.