Zero Hour: Hima Das creates history, wins India’s first international gold in track events

The start from lane 4 wasn’t good. Athletes in lanes 5 and 6—Australian Ellen Connolly and American Taylor Mayson, respectively—had much better starts. For the first 300m of the 400m event, it looked like the gold will go to the American. But then, suddenly after the last turn, 18-year-old Hima Das from India surged ahead in lane 4. It closely resembled the final dash by Usain Bolt in the 100m final at the Rio Games in the summer of 2016. Das crossed the finish line in 51.46 seconds at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, on Thursday evening, winning India’s first gold medal at a global track event.