Harmilan Bains to miss out on Commonwealth Games due to knee surgery

05/13/2022

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Harmilan Bains, India's promising middle-distance runner, will lose out on the Commonwealth Games 2022 and the World Athletics Championships 2022 due to a knee injury. Bains had a knee injury at the start of the season and has not competed since; she will need four months to heal.

The 23-year-old from Punjab has been invited to the World Championships, which will be held in Oregon, USA, in July. Bains will also be unable to compete in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in July-August due to the operation. She also missed this month's Khelo India University Games (KIUG).

“I can still gain those big tournament experiences… I will have to work extra hard next year. For that, I need to recover well in these four months, so I won’t rush into getting back on track,” Harmilan Bains told Firstpost.

She had smashed the 1500m national record the previous year in the National Open Championships 2021, with 4:05.39 seconds. Sunita Rani owned the previous mark of 4:06.03 seconds, which she set during the Asian Games in Busan in 2002. The teenage track and field athlete rose to prominence after claiming two top finishes (800m and 1500m) in the KIUG 2020, and she has steadily improved since then.

In three years, Harmilan Bains has improved her personal best in the 1500m by a little more than 15 seconds and her 800m by six seconds.