Dutee Chand wins 200m gold at Khelo India University Games

Bhubaneswar: India’s fastest woman Dutee Chand won her second gold of the Khelo India University Games after she bagged the top honors in the 200m final here on Sunday, March 1.

The 24-year-old, who is representing Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, clinched the gold medal with a timing of 23.66 seconds.

Kirti Vijay Bhoite from the University of Mumbai settled for silver with a timing of 24.98 seconds while Deepali Mahapatra from Utkal University won the bronze, clocking 25.19 seconds.

“It feels very good to win the 200m gold. In 100m, it’s difficult to gauge when to run in full throttle and when to relax a little bit, but in 200m, it’s easier to understand when to run in full speed and when to ease out. However, a runner has to exert much more in a 200m race,” said Dutee after her win.

She also lauded the way the competition has been organized in Odisha.

“The Khelo India University Games has been a good tournament for our state Odisha. It was organized like an Asian Games, where the athletes were provided with accommodation, food and training facilities,” she said.

“The schedule of all events was strictly followed and the athletes were given ample rest as well. So, the competition was conducted very well and I would like to thank the Indian government and state government for organizing the event,” she added.

However, Dutee stressed on the need to have more tournaments in India.

“I think there should be two competitions per month in India. The more competitions take place, the better we will do. Only training will not help, one needs to keep taking part in tournaments as well.