U-20 Athletics Championships | Hima Das qualifies as fastest runner in 400m heats

U-20 Athletics Championships | Hima Das qualifies as fastest runner in 400m heats

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Indian sprinter Hima Das made it to the semi-finals of the women's 400m as the fastest runner in the heats of IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships. M Shreeshankar finished fourth in the qualification round of men's long jump event to make it to the final round of the six-day championship.

18-year-old Hima Das clocked 52.25 seconds to win heat number four and lead the time charts as she advanced to the semi-final of IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships. Running at lane number three, Das beat Stacey-Ann Williams of Jamaica (52.71) in the fastest of the five heats on the opening day of the championship. 

Another Indian, Jisna Mathew also qualified for the semi-finals by winning the fifth heat in 54.32 seconds. American Taylor Manson, a medal contender, finished overall second with a time of 52.68 seconds after she won heat number one. Two of the fastest finishers in each heat would be qualifying for the semi-finals which would be run on Wednesday.

Das has been a favourite to win gold as she was the U-20 season leader in this quartermile event. Winning the gold, the Assamese girl would become the first Indian athlete to do so in a track event in an U-20 World Championships. Das clocked an Indian U-20 record of 51.32 seconds to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Games 400m final in Gold Coast in April. Since then, she has gone onto improving her timings. Das lowered the Indian U-20 record in 400m to 51.13 seconds while winning gold in the recent National InterState Championships in Guwahati.

In other events, M Shreeshankar finished fourth in the qualification round of men's long jump event with an effort of 7.68m to make it to the final round. Compatriot Lokesh Satyanathan, however, finished 17th with a jump of 7.31m.

In men's shot put, Asish Bholothia finished eighth in Group A qualification round with a personal best throw of 18.62m but that was not enough to make it to the final round. India would be represented by 31 athletes at the six-day championship.

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