GUWAHATI: Arjuna awardee athlete from Assam and 1966 Asian Games gold medalist, Bhogeswar Baruah said that the state and the country should now prepare Hima Das for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by grooming her outside the country for the next two years.
Expressing satisfaction over the teen sprinter’s silver medal winning feat in the 400 metres event of the 18th Asian Games, Baruah told The Shillong Times on Sunday evening that the fact that she has broken the national record twice in two days and improved her timing was no mean achievement and equivalent to a gold.
Hima had improved her timing from 51 seconds in the semifinals on Saturday to 50.79 seconds in the finals of the women’s 400 metres race on Sunday.
“This is just about the right age when she can go on to achieve more laurels for the country, But for that, she must be left to her own and allowed to focus on training abroad. She has to be made ready for the Olympics in Tokyo which is just two years away,” Baruah, 77, told this correspondent over phone from his Sivasagar residence.
The 18-year-old from a remote village in Nagaon district of Assam had scripted history as the first Indian woman to win gold on track at a global event (world junior athletics championship at Tampere, Finland) in July, clocking 51.46 seconds in the 400 metres race.
As a matter of fact, she has improved her timing consistently over the past several months. In the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April as she came sixth after clocking her personal best of 51.32 seconds on an international track.
“I would also appeal to the government, organisations and individuals not to go overboard in organizing felicitation ceremonies and instead allow her to concentrate on the forthcoming events,” he added.
The septuagenarian further said that it was about time that the state took up a methodical approach of scouting talent from the panchayat, block and the district level.
“I had even suggested the state government to come out with a policy wherein district sports officers must be engaged to scout talent from the grassroots through monitoring on a month-to-month basis. The existing playgrounds have to be made eligible for the youths to play and train. Only then will talented sportspersons emerge. However, till date, this aspect is yet to be considered even as the government wants to build stadiums and academies in every district, he said.
ULFA (I) lauds Hima
Congratulating Hima on her feat, ULFA (I), referring to the rituals for her success over the past few days, appealed to the well-wishers and supporters of the sprinter not to put pressure on the 18-year-old in the coming days and instead allow her to focus and play her natural game.