19th Asian Games Hangzhou: Mahilpur's Harmilan Bains keeps family legacy alive

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, October 1

Harmilan Bains of Mahilpur town in Hoshiarpur district has kept her family legacy alive by winning a silver medal in the ongoing Asian Games in 1500 m. Her father Amandeep Singh had won a silver medal in 1500 m in SAF games in 1996, while her mother Madhuri A Singh had won a silver in 800 m in the Busan Asian Games in 2002 and gold in 1500 m in SAF games held in Pakistan in 2004. Harmilan is the only girl from Punjab to make her place in the Indian contingent and she’s the only girl from India who has qualified for two events.

Moment of joy

I have talked to her and after winning silver in the 1500m, she’s confident of winning the 800m event too. It’s a moment of joy, not only for us, but for the whole nation. —Amandeep Singh, Harmilan’s father

Her father expressed happiness by saying that this was just the beginning and wait for her to come on the 800 m track. “I have talked to her and after winning silver in the 1500 m, she’s confident of winning the 800 m event too. It’s a moment of joy, not only for us, but for the whole nation.”

Harmilan started running along with her mother Arjuna Awardee Madhuri when she was just a child. Harmilan started running in the CBSE school games and made national CBSE games records in 800 and 1500 m event when she was a student of class XII in 2018. “These two records are still in her name, and no one has been able to break them. Also, she has records in her name at the Khelo India University Games. In 2021, with a timing of 4:05.39 minutes, she broke Sunita Rani’s national record of 4:06.03 minutes, which she had made in 2002,” said Amandeep.

Harmilan is presently posted as a Class I officer in the RBI in Chandigarh. She was doing her practice of 1500 m with her father and of 800 m with her mother in Patiala. Prior to the Asian Games, she had gone to the UK for four-month training.