Olympic Bound Athlete Dutee Chand Says Social Media Increases Mental Pressure

Athlete Dutee Chand who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics to represent the country for a second consecutive time talked about the pressure of social media on athletes including her.

Talking about the effect of Twitter and Instagram, Chand said that there is no such pressure on her normally, but she feels pressure whenever she goes on social media websites.

In an interview with The Hindustan Times, the athlete said that some people on Twitter and Instagram say that she won't be able to do it, while others say that they have hope from her to bring the medal. She said that seeing too much of these opinions will cause her mental pressure so she refrains to go on social media.

The Olympics bound athlete also said that the pandemic affected her training a lot and she could also not attend any international competitions that she was preparing for due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and countrywide lockdown led to the shutting down of tracks and gyms, lack of coaches and physiotherapists for athletes. Chand also did not have a running partner to practice with, and the uncertainty of the Olympics caused a dip in her morale.

However, she decided to face the situation and thought that she has to go to the Olympics and started training for it.

The 25-year-old athlete booked her slot in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after breaking a national record at the Indian Grand Prix held in Patiala in June end. The Arjuna awardee finished the race in 11.17 seconds which was 0.02 short of the Olympic automatic qualifying mark. However, her record in the game secured her the 44th position in the current world ranking for 100 meters race. The record also allowed her to run in the 200 meters category where the Olympic bound player holds the 51st position.