After Glittering At Asian Games, Dutee Chand Returns To Help Her Sisters Complete Their Studies
After the tumult of the past few years, the twin silver medals at the Asian Games seem to have put Dutee Chand¡¯s life back on track. A cash windfall from the Odisha government has followed her success in the 100m and 200m dash in Jakarta, enabl
After the tumult of the past few years, the twin silver medals at the Asian Games seem to have put Dutee Chand¡¯s life back on track.
A cash windfall from the Odisha government has followed her success in the 100m and 200m dash in Jakarta, enabling Dutee to focus on family matters and work towards realizing two important, unfulfilled dreams ¡ª building a new house at her village, Chaka Gopalpur in Bhubaneshwar, and funding the education of her two younger sisters.
Just a few months ago, Dutee ¡ª the public face of the fight against the IAAF¡¯s draconian hyperandrogenism policy ¡ª was facing an uncertain future after the international athletics body (IAAF) submitted fresh evidence challenging the participation of track athletes with hyperandrogenism. Now, with the accolades pouring in, she can also dream of a better life.
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Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs 3 crore (1.5 crore each) cash award for her double silver-winning effort.
¡°The two medals have offered me a fresh lease of life. I am all thankful to our chief minister for the cash award as I needed the money to build a new, expanded house at my village (a two-hour drive from Bhubaneswar).
The same money will be used for funding the education of my younger sisters as I don¡¯t want them to go through the same hardships which two of my elder sisters and I faced. The responsibility of their education and marriage lies with me. I will keep some money aside for their marriage as well,¡± Dutee told TOI.
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Dutee also said she will be hiring a personal support staff ¡ª from a physio to a mental trainer ¡ª in her bid to bring home an Olympic medal in 2020. ¡°Athletics is not an easy sport. It¡¯s not about wearing a spike and running at the track. It involves huge expenditure.
If I am targeting a medal at the Olympics, I will need professional expertise. Apart from my TOP funding, the money will help me undertake exposure trips abroad for training and hire personal support staff. However, Nagapuri Ramesh will continue to remain my coach as long as I am running.¡±
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Apart from Rs 3 crore, Dutee, the daughter of a weaver couple, will also be getting a brand new BMW car from a prominent Hyderabad-based businessman, who had promised her one if she could return from the Asiad with a medal.
