Sprinter Dutee aims high
Having shot into the limelight with her bronze medal effort at the recently-held Asian Athletics Championships in Pune, 17-year-old Dutee Chand now aims to make a mark on the international stage.
Following her creditable show in Pune, where she ran the 200m in 23.76secs and clocked 11.62secs in the 100m dash in the World Youth Championships in Ukraine, she is touted as the next big thing in Indian athletics.
Her coaches also feel that national records of 11.38secs and 22.82secs in the women’s 100m and 200m could be hers in a few years’ time.
“My dream is to win a gold at the Olympics but I also want to complete my BBA degree, which will offer me a secured job as soon as possible,” Chand was quoted as saying.
On her immediate plans, Chand said, “I will be competing in the Asian Youth Games in China next month and will aim to winning a gold there in both 100m and 200m.
“Post the China meet, I want to do well in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. So the next one and half years is very important for me,” said the lanky girl from Gopalpur village of Jajpur district in Bhuvaneswar.
Chand’s coach N. Ramesh, who was instrumental in bringing her to the NIS in Patiala, is confident that her ward would win medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games next year. “She has got the talent. In my long career as coach since 1999, Chand is the first Indian girl to have run 11.62secs in 100m and 23.76secs in 200m at the youth (18 years) level. She can be the next big thing in Indian athletics,” Ramesh said.
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