Dutee Chand Speaks Her Training During The Lockdown, Online Bullying And More

Despite the 2020 Summer Olympics being postponed, athlete Dutee Chand’s resolve remains strong. In an exclusive with Bazaar, she speaks about being nominated for the Arjuna Award, her training during the lockdown, online bullying, and more

- Radhika Bhalla

It’s been two days since Dutee Chand’s name was announced for the Arjuna Award, India’s highest honour for sports, and the 24-year-old athlete is elated even though she was the last to find out.

“I learnt that I had been nominated for it while running on the training track [in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar],” she shares with Bazaar over a call from her training centre in Orissa. “A media person came up to me, asking for a comment, and I asked him why. I don’t know how, but the press always gets to know things before anyone else can,” she laughs.

Dutee’s energy is buoyant... despite the fact that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed until 2021, due to Covid-19. Which means that 12 months of hard work poured into improving speed and strength have come to nought. And not to mention, the financial implications—Dutee put her BMW car on sale this July to raise funds for herself.

“I had trained extensively for the Olympics and had every intention of winning. I was even meant to go to Germany for specialised training, but three days before my flight, it was cancelled because of the virus,” she recounts.