Dutee Chand Wins 100m At Indian Grand Prix, Misses Olympics Mark

Dutee Chand wins Indian Grand Prix 100m race: Sprinter Dutee Chand made a stunning return to the track and won 100m dash in 11.51 seconds at the Indian Grand Prix on Thursday. Chand sprinted to victory in women's 100m at the season-opening games of the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. It was the first national-level track and field meet for seniors since the National Open Athletics Championships that was held in Ranchi in October 2019.

Despite her stellar performance, she missed out on this year's Olympic Games qualification mark by a whisker. Dutee's personal best and national record is 11.22 seconds for 100m dash that came at the National Open Athletics Championships in 2019. She missed out on the qualification time of 11.15 seconds.

Dutee Chand is now looking to make it to her second Olympics with two more Grand Prix meets starting next week (February 25 and March 5). The Federation Cup in Patiala begins on March 15. and the Odisha-based sprinter has surely warmed up for a challenging season ahead.

Asian Games silver medallist in 100m and 200m dash, Dutee is back on track after nearly 15 months. In January, the 25-year-old had planned to compete in a 60m track race at the Almaty Indoor International competition but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tokyo dreams

Rio Olympian Chand is the Asian Games silver-medallist and national record holder who won the 100m and 200m silver at Jakarta in 2018. She broke the national record in 100-meter sprint heats. At the National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi in October 2019, she bettered her personal best with a timing of 11.22 seconds. She went on to win a gold in the finals.

Her previous national record was 11.22 seconds and she needs to cut it to 11.15 seconds, the qualifying mark for the Tokyo Games. No Indian athlete has ever achieved 11.15s at 100m.

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Feature Image Credit: The Hindu