Bhubaneswar:  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday congratulated ace sprinter Dutee Chand on being nominated for BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year and wished the very best and to keep inspiring. Announcing Dutee?s nomination, the BBC stated, ?Dutee Chand is one of South Asia?s fastest sprinters. The 25-year-old national 100m champion is India?s first openly gay athlete and has risen from a humble background to become one of her nation?s most promising sportswomen.?

Talking to BBC Dutee said, ?I never aspired to be a runner during my childhood. But my sister said that if I take up running, I would be able to support my education. So to keep my studies going, I started running. I faced a lot of problems as I didn?t have running shoes and no proper track to practise on and no good coaches. So I started running alone in my village, on the river bank and on the road. My diet consisted of whatever was cooked at home,? said Dutee.

 ?People around the world see Dutee Chand running for just 10-12 seconds. But no-one knows that to run those 11 seconds, I have to train for 365 days.? ?If you don?t win people will forget you. So you always have to win. And you have to work very hard for it. I train six times a day. During our workout, we have to do repetitions of 100-500m sprints,? she added.

Talking about her ban over allegations of hyperandrogenism, Dutee said, ?Everyone has hormones. Some have more, some have less. What is my fault? I was selected for the 2014 Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games but at the last minute, I was banned for alleged hyperandrogenism.?

Meanwhile eyeing represent India in the Olympics, she said, ?When I run, India runs with me. I am yet to win a medal in the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. I am training hard. If I win a medal my dream will come true.?

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