Hima ruled out of World Athletics Championship

Hima das is out of the World Athletics Championship and it is now official.  The Athletic Federation of India formally announced that  Hima was ruled out due to nagging back problem.

"Unfortunately Hima will not be able to compete at theWorld Championships in Doha due to her back injury," Athletics Federation ofIndia (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla told PTI.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had on September 9named seven women, including Hima, for the 4x400m relay and 4x400m mixed relayraces at the World Championships to be held from September 27 to October 6 inDoha.

Hima was supposed to run yesterday at Czech republic tocheck her final timing in 400 m allowing AFI to take a final call about herinduction in the team as one name have to be left out from the allowed six in ateam.

The AFI, however, did not inform whether she had an informal; run with her own compatriot. All they had informed that she would not be taking part. Which means her Olympic dream is also gone for this year. However, her age advantage easily allows her to dream for the next Olympic.

However, Hima's participation in the relay events became amatter of intense speculation after she was left out of the initial entries ofIndian women athletes for the two relay races submitted by AFI to the IAAF forthe showpiece event.

Jisna Mathew, MR Poovamma, Revathi Veeramani, SubhaVenkatesan, V K Vismaya and Ramraj Vithya were entered for the women's 4x400mrelay, while Hima's name was missing.

The 19-year-old Assamese runner was also not entered for themixed 4x400m relay race. Jisna, Poovamma and Vismaya were named along withJacob Amoj, Muhammed Anas and Noah Tom Nirmal.

Hima has been suffering from lower back pain after competing at the Asian Games last year but  AFI has not been consistent with it. Sometimes they blamed below-par performance to her study break or some time to her injury.  It is almost apparent that AFI rightly trying to help the young women to give a cover during this distressing time.

She pulled out of the individual 400m heats during the AsianChampionships in Doha in April midway through the race.

At that time, deputy chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair had saidthat the injury was a lower back spasm (at L4 and L5, two lowest vertebrae inthe lumbar spine).

Even during her training stint in Europe, as part ofpreparations for the World Championships, she ran just one 400m race as she islearnt to be in pain while running longer distances.

Between July 2 and 20, Hima won four gold medals in 200m andone yellow metal in 400m at sub-par races in Europe.

In August, she won a gold in 300m. She could not qualify forthe World Championships in her pet event of 400m, with her season's bestremaining at 52.09sec as compared to personal best of 50.79.