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What's the story?
Indian professional sprinter Dutee Chand is hopeful of qualifying for Tokyo Olympics 2020 by taking part in competitions scheduled in February.
The background
Dutee Chand is a highly acclaimed Indian athlete. The 23-year-old is the current national champion and only the third Indian woman to have made it to the Summer Olympic Games. She made the cut for the Women's 100m event for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Odisha-born athlete is most famous for winning two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games, one each in Women's 100m and 200m. The 100m silver at the Jakarta Asiad was India's first medal in that particular event since 1998. Dutee also created history when she won a gold medal at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples, by clocking 11.32 seconds in the 100m women's race. The unwavering athlete has multiple bronze medals at the Asian Championships as well.
She will be one of India's best hopes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, that is if the 23-year-old makes the cut.
The heart of the matter
Dutee's sole aim right now is to qualify for the Olympics in the 100m event, for which the qualification mark has been set as 11.15 seconds.
The sensational sprinter told PTI,
“I haven’t qualified for the Olympics yet. I’ll get a chance to qualify for the Olympics in competitions which will be held in February."
Chand also mentioned that the recently introduced Khelo India University Games will be a huge boon for sports in the country as it will help in unearthing fresh talent. The first edition of KIUG is slated to be conducted in Bhubaneshwar between 22nd February and 1st March. The 100m specialist also confirmed that she will be taking part in the games and represent Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, her alma mater.
Dutee bettered her own national record at the 2019 National Open Athletics Championships when she completed the 100m race in 11.22 seconds. In case she is to breach the 11.15 seconds qualification mark for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chand will have to up the ante even further and better her personal best.
The Asian Games silver medallist was all praise for the Odisha Government and further added,
"The Odisha government is supporting the sports circuit very well. Athletes are getting jobs in the government sector and they are providing facilities for all athletes to perform as well. Earlier, the focus was only on cricket, but now athletics is also being promoted. Athletes from rural areas are getting a chance to showcase their talent through the Khelo India Games. They are being provided with facilities as well. There’s a SAI campus in every state where the upcoming athletes can train."
What's next?
The road ahead will not be an easy one for Dutee Chand as far as the Olympic qualification is concerned. She must better her personal best in the competitions scheduled in February but a confident Dutee sounded like she has it in her to make it.
You might also like reading: The Call of Dutee
