People mocked me when I couldn’t perform well: Dutee Chand

BHUBANESWAR: Ace sprinter Dutee Chand, who has secured Tokyo Olympics berths in women’s 100 and 200 metres, on Sunday said people mocked her when she clocked 11:51 seconds in 100m at the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Patiala in February.
“After my performance, many people started criticizing me and mocking me on social media. Some even commented that Dutee has no strength to qualify for the Olympics. I was also a bit nervous. But my coach N Ramesh sir, Siba Prasad Mishra and sports department officials gave me a lot of moral support and helped me improve my performance,” said Dutee at a felicitation ceremony organized by KIIT University, where Dutee is a student.
KIIT is the only university in the country to send three athletes — Dutee, CA Bhavani Devi (the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics) and javelin thrower Shivpal Singh — to the Tokyo games, besides an official (doctor).
Stating that participating in two successive Olympics is a dream come true, the 25-year-old athlete said she will give of her best to win a medal in Tokyo.
“I had to practice hard to qualify for Tokyo Olympics. Many people have tried to demoralise me and criticized me for my personal life. Despite criticism, I have always given priority to sports and my practice. Every time there was a big event, some people have tried to create a controversy. But such controversies have only motivated me to become stronger,” said Dutee, who recently broke her own national record by clocking 11:17 seconds at India Grand Prix-4 in Patiala.
Dutee, who has been recently nominated for Khel Ratna by the state government, thanked chief minister Naveen Patnaik, KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta, Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju and state sports department for extending support.
Bhavani, who is pursuing her Ph.D degree from KIIT and Shivpal, a BBA student, joined the felicitation through video-conference.