BHUBANESWAR: A couple of days ago, Dutee Chand’s revelation that she was in a same-sex relationship — she became the first Indian athlete to be openly gay — had been the toast of the entire world. High profile celebrities like American talk show host Ellen DeGeneres were lauding her bravery on social media.

The 23-year-old athlete’s revelations had sparked interest all over the world with major media outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times and the Guardian covering the development. This is not the first time that the girl from Jajpur has found herself in the international spotlight. In 2015, Dutee had won a case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, against regulations of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that prevented female athletes with a high level of testosterone in their bodies from participating. Her victory had inspired the likes of South Africa’s Olympic champion Caster Semenya in taking forward their own fights to the CAS.

However, things have since taken an unsavoury turn. On Tuesday, Dutee was facing the media in the city, alleging that her sister was blackmailing her, asking for money. “I have been in the relationship for the last three years and my family knows it,” Dutee said. “My mother loves me very much, but I face threats from my sister. She had demanded `25 lakh recently. When I expressed my inability to pay, she had threatened to divulge my relationship and destroy my career. That’s why I decided to make it public.”

Her sister, however, had a different story to tell. “They (girl and her parents) are exploiting Dutee,” said Saraswati Chand. “This episode will cause irreparable damage to Dutee’s career. In the end, she will be at the loss. I hope she understands this.”

Saraswati also revealed that Dutee was planning to hold a function to reveal her partner at a hotel in the city on May 25. According to Saraswati, Dutee had initially invited her family for the function, but when they refused, had threatened to cut off all financial support. She, however, asserted the family is not against marriage but wanted Dutee to concentrate on her career at the moment.

Dutee is currently training in Hyderabad in preparation for the upcoming World Championships in Doha. She also has an eye on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But when asked if all this would affect her performances on the field, Dutee replied in the negative.