Indian sprinter Dutee Chand made a strong comeback at the Nationals and proved all his critics wrong. After a disappointing outing at the World Championships in Doha where she crashed out of 100m with a lowly 11.48 seconds, she broke the national record with a time of 11.22 seconds in Ranchi.
The 23-year-old also became the fastest Indian this year in 200m, registering 23.17 seconds.
In a conversation with The Sunday Guardian, Dutee talks about her preparations for Olympic qualifying round and whether she will also start focusing on 200m for the Olympics.
Excerpts:
Q. Congratulations for breaking two national records. Tell us about your recent form and how is your preparation going for Olympic qualifiers?
A. My preparations are going really well. I am training in Bhubaneswar and all my coaches, including N. Ramesh, are helping me. I am getting all the finances from Odisha government for my special training. The Olympic qualifying mark is 11.15 and I have achieved 11.22. It’s a matter of seven microseconds now. I will work and train harder to achieve this.
Q. Seven microseconds is a huge difference in 100 meters. Have you ever achieved this mark during practice?
A. I have achieved 10.8 during practice sessions. But one gets nervous during the competitions. Weather also plays a role which causes an increase of 10 microseconds. I have planned well for next year. I will work hard in November and December.
Q. Are you planning to participate at the national camp in Patiala?
A. I understand I have been named in the national camp. Foreign coaches attend national camps and they train everyone but I need a personal coach
Q. Now that you have registered the fastest 200m time by an Indian this year, will you shift your focus in 200m for the Olympics?
A. I am not focusing much on 200m at the moment. If I perform well in 100m then my performance in 200m will automatically get better. I clocked 11.22 seconds in 100m because of which I was able register 23.17 seconds. My focus is still on 100m dash.
Q. How confident are you about your Olympic qualification this time?
A. I am very confident about my Olympic qualification this time. I remember the qualifying mark in 2016 was 11.30 and my personal best at that time was 11.45. But this time I am very close with only seven micro seconds needed.