Hima’s injury casts doubt on 4x100 relay team’s qualification
Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
Patiala, June 27
The inter-state athletics meet that is currently underway here was to give a last chance dash for the Indian athletes to make the cut for the Tokyo Olympics. However, rather than providing the answers about the selection dilemma or the shape of the relay teams, the meet has only added to the anxiety of the officials.
The Indian women’s 4×400 team is already out of the race after Nigeria’s team clocked 3 minutes, 26.83 seconds at the Lagos Open on Friday. Scenario in the 4×100 women’s relay is hanging by a thread after Hima Das pulled a hamstring in the 100m women’s heat on Saturday.
Dutee Chand, who has outperformed the Assam sprinter, pulled a muscle after finishing third in the finals of the 100m. With Hima ruled out, the team led by Dutee has to better the mark of 43:04 seconds set by Brazil to make the cut for the Tokyo Games.
“I chose not to push at the end of the 100m as I needed to look out for the 4×100 relay. We have to get the timing to qualify,” Dutee said today.
While Dutee’s was a measured answer, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumirawala described it as a win or bust situation.
“Hima has a minor hamstring injury and we think she will be OK. We had an MRI done and it seems it is not a bad injury. There is another MRI scheduled for tomorrow,” Sumariwala informed.
“In the meantime she can’t run the relay. If the relay team qualifies then it is great, if they don’t then they won’t go. It is that simple,” he added.
The AFI started to talk up the 4×100 women’s relay chances last year. The thinking was that the quartet of Dutee, Hima, S Dhanalakshmi and Archana Suseendran had been consistent even to push for a place in Tokyo and even had a chance to qualify for the finals. Hima’s injury has cast a big doubt on the AFI’s plans.
“In a day’s time, it will be clear whether or not the 4×100 team has qualified. It is perform or perish time for them. We realised last year that we had a chance in 4×100. If the baton exchange went well and if the girls ran to their capacity we would reach the finals and that is why we created this team,” Sumariwala explained.
“We didn’t have a 4×100 team for a very long time. After the Busan Asian Games where our team won the gold, we never had a team. We really started pushing the relay team after the Grand Prix meets. Having said that, we will have disappointment in sprints as anyone and everyone can get injured,” he added.
No decision on Sreeshankar
Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar has requested the AFI for permission to skip the inter-state meet, as he does not want to risk an injury. Sreeshankar wants to return to Kerala immediately but his request is still pending with the AFI. “No he has not been granted leave. We will decide on his request soon,” he said.
