Sprinter Dutee Chand eyes Tokyo Olympic qualification through Indian GP

Dutee Chand. Pic/AFP

India's star sprinter Dutee Chand is very optimistic about qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics (July 23-August 8) through the Indian Grand Prix to be held in Patiala on June 21.

Dutee, 25, the national record holder in the 100m dash (11.22 seconds), needs to clock 11.15 seconds to qualify for the Tokyo Games. "There will be just one race [no heats or preliminaries] at the Indian GP and my aim is to try and clock 11.15s to get the Tokyo mark here. After qualifying, I will get a good one month to prepare," Dutee told mid-day during the virtual launch of a jewellery brand on Wednesday.

Following the Indian GP, Dutee will have another shot at Olympic qualification through the National Inter-State Championships (June 25-29) also in Patiala. The last date to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics is June 29.

Having missed out on a few international competitions due to the global Covid-19 situation, Dutee has been working extra hard and training for six hours a day (6am-10am and 6pm-8pm) at the national camp in Patiala.

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"I started my speed training from February, running 60m, 80m and then 100m. I repeat the 100m run during training at least six times. My aim in Tokyo is to run below 11.10s and qualify for the finals," added Dutee, who won silver medals in 100m and 200m events at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

Finally, Dutee can also make it to the Games through the ranking system. Of the 56 athletes, who will be competing in Tokyo, 33 will be those who have qualified, while the rest will be picked based on their rankings. Dutee is currently ranked 42.

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With inputs from PTI