Tokyo Olympics: Sprinter Hima Das sustains muscle pull; could miss qualifying race

Hima Das is one of the top female sprinters of India, who is one of the top contenders to qualify for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. However, she has reportedly suffered a muscle pull that could rule her out of the qualifier race.

Indian sprinter Hima Das is one of the top contenders to bag a medal for the nation in athletics during the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. However, to do so, she needs to qualify for the event in the first place.

Meanwhile, she received a scare on Saturday after reportedly suffering a muscle pull during the 100m heats in Patiala's National Inter-State Athletics Championships. Although the severity of the injury is yet to be determined, it casts doubt on her Olympic qualifier race.

"We hope Hima Das recovers ASAP after muscle pull during 100m heats this morning at Inter-State meet," said Athletics Federation of India in a tweet. While Hima finished third in the heats, she managed to qualify for the final race on Sunday, which would be vital for her to seal the Tokyo berth.

Moreover, if Hima's injury is deemed severe, it would mean a massive setback for India's 4x100m women's relay, as Hima is a crucial part of the team comprising Dutee Chand, Dhanalakshmi and Archana Suseendran. Furthermore, she is also eyeing the 200m qualification, as she missed an automatic spot during the IGP, finishing at 22.88 seconds to the required time of 22.80 seconds. Failing to race in either would completely dent Hima's chances of making it to the Games.

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