Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: Star Sprinter of India Dutee Chand arrived at New Delhi to a grand welcome after winning two silver medals at the ongoing 18th Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang.
Hundreds of fans were eagerly waiting for the 22-year-old sprinter from Odisha with flowers and deep affection.
Speaking to OTV, Dutee said, "Asian Games is a big event which takes place every four years. I am extremely happy that I could bring home medals in 100 and 200m race after 20 long years."
It is pertinent to note that Dutee became only the second Indian woman after PT Usha (1986) to win a medal at both the events in the same Asiad.
Though she missed the Gold by a whisker, she had no regrets, whatsoever. She said, “There are no hard feelings as it's not easy to win a medal at the Asian Games, that too in a speed and technical event. I am not concerned about the loss because the difference was just a few milliseconds and it was because of my height. But as far as my training is concerned, I had put in a lot of effort.”
Dutee had been suspended by the International Association for Athletics Federation (1AAF) in 2014 under its hyperandrogenism policy, but she won the case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports.
On handling such a pressure situation, she said, "I would also like to thank the 10-member team of lawyers who helped me win the case. I was under a severe mental duress for which I was unable to practice whole-heartedly. After winning the case, I began my training with full concentration and that is what helped me achieve success.”
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a total cash prize of Rs 3 crore for Dutee Chand for winning two silver medals at the Asian Games.
This apart, Patnaik has also announced that the state government would bear her expenses for her training in view of the Tokyo Olympics, 2020.