Khelo India University Games: Dutee Chand bags gold medal in 100-m dash with record timing

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand on Saturday clinched a gold medal in 100m dash with a record timing of 11.49 seconds in the Khelo India University Games.

The 24-year-old Dutee, representing Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), raced ahead to take a massive lead within no time.

"I want to thank the governments of India and Odisha for organising such a mega event in the state. I participated in 100m for the first time in 2020 and won a gold medal with a new university record," Dutee told ANI.

"I did not get the tough fight because of that I did not get the right push and did not clock the desired timing. I will prepare hard for the next tournament," Dutee added.

The second best -- Dhanalakshmi S from Mangalore University -- clocked 11.99 seconds and Sneha SS from Mahatma Gandhi University clinched the bronze with a timing of 12.08 seconds.

Dutee, who bettered her own national record with a timing of 11.22 seconds at the National Open Athletics Championships last year, is chasing 11.15 seconds to secure a ticket to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"I will try to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics first and after that will aim for a medal. I am preparing hard for the Olympic qualification," she said.

As many as 3,400 athletes from 159 universities across the country are participating in 17 disciplines -- archery, athletics, boxing, fencing, judo, swimming, weightlifting, wrestling, badminton, basketball, football, hockey, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, rugby, and kabaddi.