Dutee Chand posts treble in nationals; may head for US in bid to make Olympics

QUICK PILL

Up and coming Indian sprinter, Dutee Chand, who recently won a landmark gender case against the world athletics governing body IAAF, may head to Chula Vista High Performance Training Centre in the United States in her bid to make the cut for Rio Olympics 2016.

The 19-year-old Railways sprinter on Saturday completed a treble at the National Open Athletics Meet here by winning the 200m and 4x100m relay gold in addition to her 100m dash title earlier.

Dutee, running in her second meet after winning the gender case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, later said that she had spoken to Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who has assured her of three months foreign training to achieve the Olympic standard.

"I told him (the sports minister) that I need a minimum of three months' foreign training to achieve 23.20s (the qualification standard for Rio 2016) in 200m. I told him I want to go to Chula Vista and he has promised me to send there," Dutee told reporters after winning a triple gold medal today.

Dutee, who has a personal best of 23.56 (Junior Asian Championship in Taipei), clocked 23.69secs today to beat her state-mate Srabani Nanda for the gold medal in 200m, an event where she has the best chance to make the cut.

"I was off practice for about six months (because of the gender row) and due to that I don't have much endurance and stamina, the two most important things needed to peak in the 200m. But I'll improve by rigorous training," a confident Dutee added.

"I'm really thankful to my well wishers and it's because of their blessings I could make it three," she added.

Her coach by Nagapuri Ramesh is confident that Dutee can go under 23-minute if given a foreign training stint.

"Dutee had improved from 23.76 (Asian Championship Pune 2013) to 23.56 in one year. And despite the turmoil and off practice she could clock her best time of the year," Ramesh said.

Dutee is currently based at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad and she thanked the former ace shuttler.

"I'm getting the best of facilities there and there was no one to disturb me (last year when she was banned). I'm really thankful to Gopi Sir, KIIT University, and Odisha Olympic Association," Dutee said.

Dutee was banned last year under IAAF's "hyperandrogenism" policy after tests revealed that her body produced natural levels of testosterone above permissible range.

But the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in its July verdict, suspended the "hyperandrogenism" rules, which will be scrapped if the IAAF, the world body of the sport, cannot provide new evidence.

-PTI