Indian sprinter Hima Das’s participation in the IAAF World Relays to be held in Yokohama this weekend is in doubt as she has been diagnosed with spondylitis of the lumbar vertebrae, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The 400m World Under-20 champion, who had started training for the event on May 5, will need to rehabilitate and take medication in order to recover from her lower back injury.
This is another big blow for Das as she chased qualification for the World Championships and Tokyo Olympics to be held next year. The 20-year-old had also pulled out of the previous competition she took part in – the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha – due to a similar injury.
“Hima Das has started training with the relay squad earlier this week,” the report quoted India’s deputy chief national coach Radhakrishnan as saying. “She will need to do some exercises and will also need some rest and rehabilitation as part of her recovery. Her progress is being monitored carefully.”
There is no time-frame set for how long Das will take to recover from her injury. She will be travelling to Spala, Poland, to continue her rehabilitation.