indian sprinter Hima Das on sunday claimed that people started following athletics after the Asian Games 2018 in which india finished with their best medal tally of 69 medals. india had also equaled the record of 15 gold medals they had won in the 1951 Asian Games. Hima Das had also clinched the silver medal in the final of the 400m race at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on Sunday.
Das told suresh raina during an instagram live session "In india, people started following athletics after 2018. When the Asian Games happened in Jakarta after that people started following athletics in India. Everyone knows what is, whenever fans chant your name, it gives you extra motivation". Overall, india had maintained its top-10 rank by finishing eighth in the Asian Games 2018. The previous highest medal tally for india was at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, china where they had finished 6th with 14 gold, 17 silver and 34 bronze medals.
The track and field events remained the most productive area for india, as they produced 7 out of the total 15 gold medals. The top performers in Athletics included Tajinderpal Singh Toor, swapna Barman, dutee chand, Neeraj Chopra, Jinson Johnson, Arpinder Singh and Hima Das. Hima Das also revealed that sachin tendulkar was her role model and meeting the former india captain was the best moment of her life. She said "I still remember talking to him. When I saw him, I ended up crying. It was the best moment for me. Meeting your role model is a big moment for everyone and no one can forget that."
