Dutee Chand’s success at the recent Asian Games is an example of sheer grit and determination. She has fought against all odds, accusations and social stigma over her gender to create history in the field of sports. She shares her journey from Jajpur to Jakarta with Ankita Saxena
Twenty-two-year old Dutee Chand walks into a room full of well-wishers, cameras flashing all around her, journalists swamping her for a chance to hear her story of success. She is all smiles as she walks confidently across the room, the glow of achievement radiating not just from the two silver medals around her neck but her face as well. Today, Dutee has become the face of women in athletics, anchored on strong pillars supported by her coach Ramesh Nagapuri and her long-time mentor, Dr Samanta Achyuta, the founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Training (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), whom she regards as God’s hand in her life.
During the recent Asian Games in Indonesia, Dutee crossed the finish line of the 100 m final race in 11.32 seconds, bringing home the silver medal, ending India’s 20-year long wait to secure a medal in the event. As she finished the 200 m dash in 23.20 seconds, she grabbed another silver medal for the country, joining the illustrious list of athletes like P T Usha to have won more than one medal at the Asian Games.
However, this long journey of winning medals at the Asian Games has been marred with struggles and loneliness, times where she lost her confidence and was brought to a juncture where she was wrongly accused of failing a gender test.
Dutee is a classic example of a fighter, who has run past any pigeonhole the society tried to lock her into. The ace sprinter was barred from participating in the Commonwealth Games 2014 in line with the hyper-androgenism policy of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) which disqualifies women athletes having male hormones above a permissible limit.
Pain is clearly reflected in her eyes as she shares the ostricisation faced and social stigma that dented her spirit. “When I was preparing for the Commonwealth Games, I missed the opportunity to participate because of the hyper-androgenism policy of IAAF. I was not aware of such a condition and it was shocking and humiliating when I was asked to vacate the sports hostel where I was preparing for the Games. It was a tough time and I broke down. I had even got a job with the Indian Railways but they also questioned my gender and asked to bring proof. I had to face insults from many quarters and it was humiliating.”
N. Ramesh, Dutee’s coach since the beginning of her career, exclaims that Dutee has never been the one who would give up whether on-field or off-field. “She fought her way through and I know that she would not take defeat lying down.”
The distressed sprinter decided to fight it out with the authorities and filed an appeal against this policy before the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAAS). The judgment went in her favour and she won the case. “I went to Switzerland to fight the case. My travel arrangements and legal expenses were borne by Samanta sir. The judgment was in my favour and in favour of the other sportspersons in the world who were victims of this policy. They also got justice because of me.” In a recent revision of the IAAF and hyper-androgenism policy, the rule is now applicable to events from 400 m to the mile including 400 m, hurdle races, 800 m, 1500 m and one-mile races and combined events over the same distances.
But Dutee has always had to fight her way to achieve something and the going has not been particularly easy for her from the very beginning. Hailing from a very poor weaver family from Chakagopalpur village in Jajpur district in Odisha, Dutee was inspired by her elder sister Saraswati who is an athlete herself. Thanks to her, Dutee discovered her love for sprinting and today has brought laurels for the country. The third child among seven siblings, it was unimaginable for Chakradhar Chand, Dutee’s father, to finance his daughter’s training for athletics as he barely managed to earn Rs 2,000-3,000 a month for the entire family. She recounts, “At 17, I was setting records on the track but I did not have the means to do a graduation. It was then that Samanta sir came forward and given my success in sports, offered me admission in KIIT. It is from this time onwards that my actual career as a sprinter began. Dr Samanta took my entire responsibility and supported my family during distress.”
A star-performer, she believes that success is a team effort. Dutee explains that it’s the motivation and moral support given by her coach that helped her to do well and is thankful to her mentor who stood by her side, helping her financially with training. At a time where exposure has become a yardstick for good performance, she stands humble and simple, yet focussed and determined. She fondly recalls an incident from 2013 and says, “I was in need for special running shoes. Samanta sir arranged them for me. It was his first gift for me. I participated in the Asian Athletic Meet for the first time and won the international medal when I ran wearing those spikes. KIIT and Samanta sir have proved to be very lucky for me as wherever I participate, I take a gift from him. You could call it my lucky charm. This time in Jakarta, I wore the track suit of KIIT at the medal presentation ceremony.”
The Odisha government is also celebrating the monumental victory. Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik announced a cash prize of Rs 3 crore for the sprinter. Apart from this, the state government has taken up the responsibility to bear all training costs for Dutee. Though celebrations are never-ending on account of this feat, Dutee is focussed on the Olympics. She is training at the Gopichand Badminton Academy and plans to use the money bestowed upon her towards giving a better life to her family. And beyond her triumphs, she will be forever remembered for breaking gender moulds and the girl who used her natural body without going in for therapy or surgery. She held her own.