Hailing from Assam, Hima Das is a prominent sprinter famous for her 400-meter runs, though she has also left her mark in 100m and 200m sprints. She was actively competing up until 2019, but a severe back injury forced a change in plans; the IAAF and AFI urged her to skip the September 2019 World Championships for her own safety. Despite these physical setbacks, the 20-year-old athlete pushed through the pain to compete in various European events until 2019.
The 2018 Asian Games were a highlight for Das, where she earned gold medals in the 400m women's and mixed relay races, as well as a silver in the individual 400m. She also achieved a historic milestone at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Finland, where she became the first Indian to win gold in the 400m sprint. That same year, she hit her personal bests across three distances: 11.74s in the 100m, 23.10s in the 200m, and 50.79s in the 400m.
In 2019, the Indian Federation of Sports Medicine, via Dr. Chandran PSM, notified Rajesh Rajagopalan of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme about Hima Das's health. The athlete was dealing with Lumbar Spondylosis—a serious back condition that could have been career-threatening—yet her determination remained unshaken. She continued to dominate, winning gold in the 200m in Poland in July 2019 and another gold in the 400m in the Czech Republic with a time of 52.09 seconds. However, due to her medical state, the IAAF and IAF eventually removed her from the Doha World Championship roster.
During a state budget session, Assam's Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the state government would offer Grade 1 positions, such as Magistrate or DSP, to athletes who had excelled in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, or Asian Games. Following through on this, on Friday, March 6, 2020, Sonowal—the former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports—officially announced that Hima Das would be appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
With the 2020 Olympics no longer an option for her, Hima Das took to Twitter to thank the Chief Minister of Assam for the DSP appointment. She expressed her gratitude for the recognition of her hard work and sporting achievements, vowing to continue pushing her limits to reach new heights.