Hima Das wins sixth gold, wins 300m race in Czech Republic event

Top Indian sprinters Hima Das and Mohammad Anas won a gold each in women's and men's 300m races respectively at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter event in Czech Republic. This was Hima's sixth gold in European races since July 2 though the field in most of them has been mediocre. Her last win was on July 20 when she clinched a gold in her pet 400m event at Nove Mesto in Czech Republic. "Finished on the top in 300 m in the Athleticky Mitink Reiter 2019 today in Czech Republic," Hima tweeted after winning the race on Saturday.  Anas, on the other hand, won the men's 300m race in 32.41 seconds. "Glad to have won the Gold in men's 300m at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter 2019 in Czech Republic in a timing of 32.41 secs," he tweeted. National record holder Anas has already qualified for 400m event for the World Championships to be held in Doha in September-October while Hima is yet to achieve it. 

Das extended her sensational run by claiming her fifth gold as she returned to her pet 400m competition with a season-best time of 52.09s, in Nove Mesto on Saturday. The timing is slower than her personal best of 50.79 seconds, which she managed at the Jakarta Asian Games and she also narrowly missed out on the World Championships qualifying mark of 51.80.

However, it was better than the timing of 52.88 seconds, which she managed earlier in the season. It was Hima's fifth gold medal since July 2 when she ran her first competitive race in Europe. In her first competitive 200m race of the year, she clocked 23.65 seconds on her way to gold at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland on July 2.

After that, she won her second 200m gold at the Kutno Athletics Meet, also in Poland, on July 7 with a time of 23.97 seconds. On July 13, she won her third 200m gold at the Kladno Athletics Meet in Czech Republic with a time of 23.43 while her fourth gold came at the Tabor Athletics Meet in the same country on Wednesday.

It was first competition in 400m for the 19-year-old from Assam, fondly called the 'Dhing Express', since she struggled to finish the Asian Athletics Championship in April this year because of a back issue.

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HIGHLIGHTS

• Hima Das did not finish in Asian Athletics Championship due to a back issue.
• Hima Das has won six gold medals in European events.
• Mohammad Anas is the national record holder.