Dutee Chand

Dutee Chand
Personal information
Born (1996-02-03) 3 February 1996
Gopalpur, Odisha, India
Height 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight 50 kg (110 lb)
Sport
Country  India
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 100 metres
Club ONGC
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 100 m: 11.24
(Almaty 2016)
200 m: 23.73
(Ranchi 2013)
4X100 m relay: 43.42
(Almaty 2016)
Updated on 20 August 2016.

Dutee Chand (born 3 February 1996) is an Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women's 100 metres event.[1] She is the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women's 100 metres event at the Summer Olympic Games, having qualified for the event in the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2]

Early life

Chand was born on 3 February 1996 to Chakradhar Chand and Akhuji Chand in Gopalpur, Odisha, in the Jajpur district of Odisha.[3][4] She is from a below poverty line weavers family.[5][6] Her source of inspiration comes from her elder sister Saraswati Chand, who was an athlete herself.[6] In 2013, she enrolled in the KIIT University to pursue law.[7]

Career breaks

Dutee Chand in 2012 became a national champion in the under-18 category when she clocked 11.8 seconds in the 100 metres event.[8] Clocking 23.811 seconds, Chand won the bronze in the 200 metres event at the Asian Championships in Pune. The year also saw her become the first Indian to reach the final of a global athletics 100 metres final, when she reached the final in the 2013 World Youth Championships.[9] In the same year, she became the national champion in 100 metres and 200 metres when she won the events clocking 11.73 s in the final in 100 metres and a career-best 23.73 s in 200 metres at the National Senior Athletics Championships[10] in Ranchi.

Dutee clocked 11.33 secs in women’s 100m dash to win the gold and erase Rachita Mistry’s 16-year-old earlier national record of 11.38 secs in the 2016 Federation Cup National Athletics Championships in New Delhi, however she missed the Rio Olympics qualification norm of 11.32 secs by one-hundredth of a second.[1][11] But finally on 25 June 2016, Dutee broke the very same National record twice in one day after clocking 11.24 at the XVI International Meeting G Kosanov Memorial in Almaty, Kazakhstan, thereby qualifying for the Olympic Games.

Commonwealth Games controversy

Chand was dropped from the 2014 Commonwealth Games contingent at the last minute after the Athletic Federation of India stated that hyperandrogenism made her ineligible to compete as a female athlete.[12] There has been no suggestion that Chand has been involved in cheating or doping—the decision was made in compliance with International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations on “female hyperandrogenism” designed to address a perceived advantage for female athletes with high androgen levels. The decision has been condemned by Australian intersex advocates.[13] The Athletic Federation of India and IAAF’s actions were widely criticised as an affront to Chand’s privacy and human rights.[14]

“They have tested Dutee at the last minute, humiliated her and broken her heart, all sorts of things have been written about her. Now, if she re-enters the sports field, things will not be normal. Even if she takes treatment, people will kill her with their suspicious gaze. The matter could have been dealt with discreetly. That things became public, is wrong. Would they have done it if it was their daughter? Who is responsible for her future now? The job and the money are secondary problems. Think about how much she would have suffered. She is not from a wealthy or powerful family; just another ordinary family. Even if she gets help from the State association, can she stay in peace in her village? She will find it tough to get married. Dutee is not the problem but the system is problem, a athlete cannot fail their gender.”[15]

Santhi Soundarajan about Dutee Chand

The Indian government appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on behalf of Chand, and in July 2015 the CAS issued a decision to suspend the hyperandrogenism regulation for female track and field sports for two years, stating that insufficient evidence had been produced to indicate that there is any link between enhanced androgen levels and improved athletic performance.[16] The court allowed two further years for convincing evidence to be submitted by the IAAF, after which the regulation will be automatically revoked if evidence has not been provided.[17] This effectively removes the suspension of Chand from competition, clearing her to race again.[18]

Santhi Soundarajan support

Santhi Soundarajan, acclaimed middle-distance running athlete for India, extended her support to Chand and said the youngster should not be victimized. She expressed her dismay at the lack of sensitivity in the handling of the issue, fearing that Chand's future may have been jeopardized, and demanded that all steps be taken to ensure Chand's return to the track.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Anirudha, Dutee emerge fastest; Jyothi settles for silver medal". Deccan Herald. 8 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  2. "Dutee Chand from India Qualifies for Women's 100m". 26 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  3. "Dutee Chand biography". Orissasports. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  4. "Dutee to lead India in Asian Youth Games". The Times of India. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  5. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/rio-2016-olympics/india-in-olympics-2016/athletics/Sprinter-Dutee-Chand-set-to-realise-Olympic-dream/articleshow/53461278.cms
  6. 1 2 Das, Tanmay (25 June 2016). "Undeterred Dutee Chand sticks to her track, makes it to Rio Olympics in 100 meters category". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  7. "Rousing welcome to Dutee Chand in KIIT". Odisha Live. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  8. "Dutee Chand breaks 100m record". The Hindu. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  9. "Dutee Chand is the first Indian sprinter in World 100m final". drinksbreak. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  10. "Indian sprinter Dutee Chand defies the odds to make Rio 100m". 26 June 2016.
  11. "National Open Athletics: Golden double for Dutee, Surya". Times of India. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  12. Slater, Matt (28 July 2015). "Sport & gender: A history of bad science & 'biological racism'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  13. "Commonwealth Games sprinter's disqualification shows Australian athletes could face "gender testing"". starobserver.com.au.
  14. "Gender struggles for women to find equality in sport". directo.fi.
  15. Shreedutta Chidananda. "Dutee Chand finds support in Santhi". The Hindu.
  16. "Government explores CAS option in Dutee case". The Times of India.
  17. Branch, John (27 July 2015). "Dutee Chand, Female Sprinter With High Testosterone Level, Wins Right to Compete". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  18. "Dutee Chand cleared to race as IAAF suspends 'gender test' rules". BBC News Online. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  19. "Santhi Urges Establishment to Help Sidelined Dutee". The New Indian Express.
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