KOLKATA: “I rocked the world while you were sleeping,” said the 18-year-old athlete Hima Das to her father on phone line after bagging the first gold medal for India.

Golden girl Hima broke records after running like the wind in the 400m race at the IAAF World U-20 meet in Finland. She reportedly cried when her father told her “we were all awake to watch you run on television.”

Besides a sports enthusiast, the world-class athlete is a socially conscious teenager who took the lead in demolishing country liquor vends in her village Dhing and its neighborhood. According to her neighbor “She has never scared to speak out against illegal things. Hima is a role model for us and for the country.”

Hima Das wanted to play football for India two year ago. But she made the change at the behest of her teacher Shamshul Shaikh, who was impressed by her speed while playing football, and shifted to athletics.

The incredible story of the feisty girl continued when Nipon Das, one of her two coaches, convinced her parents to let her shift to Dharwad. A local doctor Pratul Sharma helped Hima by raising money for her lodging.

While Nipon Das believes that Hima can win gold at the Asian Games and even break the 50-second mark, Hima is a source of motivation for another coach Ranjit.

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Dubai: Smoke was seen rising from an area near the United States Consulate in Dubai, according to witness accounts cited by Reuters.

There was no immediate official confirmation on the extent of damage or whether there were any casualties in the incident.

Earlier, the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, was also attacked. Authorities reported damage to the premises, but no casualties were recorded.

The developments come amid heightened tensions in the region, with Iran continuing to target US interests in the Middle East following deadly attacks launched on Saturday by Israel and the United States.