Harmilan Bains Biography

Harmilan Bains is an Indian runner who represents her country on the International level. At the 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal, Harmilan Bains became the queen of middle-distance running in India by setting a new national record in the 1500m event.

Early Life

Running was in Harmilan Bains’s DNA. The youthful middle-distance runner frequently jokes that she competed in her first race while still in her mother’s womb.

The well-known tale states that in the late 1990s, Madhuri Singh, the mother of Harmilan Bains, had to run a 1500-meter trial to maintain her employment with the Punjab State Electricity Board while she was three months pregnant.

On July 23, 1998, in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Madhuri has still employed six months afterward. Harmilan Bains was born on that day. Harmiln witnessed her mother return four years later, carrying the silver medal in the women’s 800m at the Busan Asian Games in 2002. In 2003, Madhuri received the Arjuna Award.

Amandeep Bains, Harmilan’s father, was also a well-known runner in his day. Amandeep is a former national champion in the men’s 1500m and a medallist in the South Asian Games.

So, rather than bedtime stories and lullabies, Harmilan grew up hearing stories about great Indian sportsmen, and athletics played a significant role in the Bains’ household.

Playground races between boys and girls were a childhood habit of Harmilan Bains. Harmilan, who was in third standard at the time, was so disappointed with her second-place performance in her first competitive race that she considered giving up on running.

Her mother, however, stepped in and urged her to continue. Harmilan triumphed in numerous subsequent races.

Running Career

Despite her history, Harmilan Bains had little interest in becoming a professional athlete. She wanted to be a scientist or engineer and did well academically.

However, the Punjab runner was always subject to familial expectations. There’s a constant assumption that since my parents have accomplished so much, I should too. I was never asked to perform anything in particular. Running was forced upon me,” Harmilan Bains said to ESPN.

Harmilan Bains, then 13 years old, suffered a severe blow when she tested positive for drugs during an Under-14 competition and received a two-year ban. Her tonsillitis had been administered by a local doctor, who vanished when he was asked to appear before a panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency.

“At that time, I was quite ill,” Harmilan Bains told the Indian Express. “I was lacking of a coach.” Can someone who is that age intentionally take steroids?

When the doctor’s turn came, he became frightened and walked out. Not even his degree was produced. I was shocked to learn that. I had a two-year loss.

But Harmilan recovered from the incident stronger. A significant turning point in her career occurred in 2015 when her father sent her to stay at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Hostel in Dharamshala.

Harmilan Bains won the 1500m gold at the CBSE Nationals, just months after she moved into the SAI program. Harmilan acknowledges that her perspective on pursuing running as a career was altered by her victory in the event. She couldn’t shake the feeling of victory.

Over the following few years, Harmilan Bains has made impressive improvements, first under coach Jaswinder Singh Bhatia and then under Suresh Kumar Saini.

Medals and Achievements

Harmilan Bains began her international medal career in 2016 when she won the 1500m bronze at the Asian Junior Championships in Ho Chi-Minh, Vietnam. In 2015, she won silver in both the 800m and 1500m races at the Ranchi U18 national championships. At the Indian Grand Prix, she also took home a silver medal in the 800 meters.

However, a 2017 knee injury hindered her growth because she missed many significant events while recovering, which took more than a year.

After returning to full fitness in 2019, she won gold in the 1500m and bronze in the 800m at the Inter-University Championships in Moodbidri. She also won a bronze medal in the 1500m at the Federation Cup in Patiala.

But Harmilan Bains didn’t really become a force to be reckoned with in Indian sports until 2020.

That year, Harmilan Bains won gold in both the 800 and 1500 meters at the Khelo India University Games in Bhubaneshwar.

In addition, Harmilan beat her mother’s personal record of 4:14.78 in the women’s 1500m at Kalinga Stadium with her winning time of 4:14.68.

Harmilan Bains won all of her individual races in 2021. In addition to winning the World University Games Athletics Trials in Bhubaneswar for both the 800m and 1500m, the Punjabi athlete also became the national champion in both events.

Her 800-meter personal best time, set at the nationals in Patiala, is still 2:02.57.

Harmilan’s brief yet exciting athletic career reached its pinnacle in 2021 at the National Open Championships in Warangal. She won the 1500-meter women’s event in 4:05.39, breaking Sunita Rani’s previous record of 4:06.03, which she set after earning the gold medal at the Asian Games in Busan in 2002.

Bio Data

Full Name: Harmilan Bains

Nationality: Indian

Occupation: Athlete

Sports: Running

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