From a poor family to World-class athlete: Dutee Chand

Dutee Chand is India's first athlete to openly come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ Community. She is an Indian professional sprinter and national champion in the women's 100 metres event. Chand is the first Indian to win a gold medal in 100m race in a global competition. 

Dutee Chand was born on 3 February 1996 to father Chakradhar Chand and mother Akhuji Chand in the chaka gopalpur village, Jajpur district of Odisha.

She belongs to a family which is below poverty line weavers family. Dutee was inspired by her elder sister Saraswati Chand, who competed in running at State level. Chand was 10, her elder sister Saraswati was already a National Athlete. Chand at the age of 10 got her break as she won a sports scholarship to a government school in Bhubaneshwar.

Wins historic 100 metres Gold in Naples

2012 was the year where her life got changed!

Chand made it to the headlines in 2012. she timed 11.8seconds in the 100 metres category. At the age of 17, Dutee was setting records on the track.

2013 was the year when she became the first Indian to reach the final of an international 100 metres event, at the IAAF world youth championship then she became the senior National champion in 100 and 200 metres.

In June 2014,Chand won two Gold medals at the Asian junior championship in Taipei, Taiwan- again a first for an Indian athlete. 

On 12 July, 2014, acting on an anonymous complaint filed at the Asian Junior Championship, the Athletics Federation of India conducted a series of tests on her without informing her what this was for. She was told that she was banned from competing and asked to leave the National camp.

It was only a few days later that dejected Chand came to know that she had failed a 'Gender test'. What Chand has is a condition called Hyperandrogenism- her body produces a larger amount of the androgen hormone testosterone than the average woman.

In 2016, the Hyperandrogenism rule changed and Dutee was back on track!

In 2017, she clinched two bronze medals at the Asian Athletics Championships.

At the 2019 Summer Universiade in Napoli, Chand won Gold in the 100m race, becoming the first Indian woman sprinter to win Gold at Universiade. she set historic records at this event by finishing her sprint in 11.32 seconds.