Dutee Chand’s story is a testament to unbreakable spirit. Hailing from a poor weaving family in Jajpur, Odisha, the athlete born on February 3, 1996, faced hunger and hardship amid nine siblings. Her father’s cloth-weaving income stretched thin, but elder sister Saraswati’s sprinting prowess lit a fire in young Dutee.
No funds for studies? No problem—Saraswati urged sports as the ticket to free education and future employment. Barefoot dashes on rural roads and riverbeds honed her speed. By 2005, a sports hostel spot under coach Chitaranjan Mahapatra launched her career. National medal in 2007 followed.
Breakthroughs piled up: 2012 under-18 100m national champion. 2013 Asian Championships junior bronze. Double gold at 2014 Asian Juniors. Then, heartbreak—barred from Commonwealth Games due to hyperandrogenism by AFI. Dutee’s CAS appeal in 2015 cleared her path.
Records tumbled: 60m national record of 7.28s in 2016 Asian Indoors. Federation Cup 100m in 11.33s. Double national record smash at Kosanov Memorial (11.24s), earning Rio 2016 Olympic berth. Heats ended her debut, but not her drive.
Silver at 2018 Asian Games 100m, matching P.T. Usha’s legacy. 2020 Tokyo qualification in 100m and 200m. Dutee, now a beacon for youth, shows that from barefoot beginnings, one can sprint to global stardom.
