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 for my training. My personal coach is aware of my body and what is needed. There is no point in training at the national camp. I am happy to work under Ramesh sir.
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.