Bhubaneswar: Dreams die hard for Odia sprinter Dutee Chand. The 100 metres national record holder now has another dream. It is to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the same event. And then to have a ‘dream’ lunch with… guess who… Amitabh Bachchan. For that Dutee Chand is willing to go that extra mile.
Dutee reached Kolkata driving over 400 kilometres Thursday. She has gone there so that she can be present at the SAI campus to receive the Arjuna Award which will be conferred to her Saturday on the occasion of the National Sports Day. However, Dutee said she will just not be satisfied with the award.
“The nation is honouring me, so I have to give something back to the nation,” Dutee said. Even though the qualification mark for the Tokyo Games is 11.5 seconds Dutee is confident that she has a fair chance of achieving it. “There are times during training when I even clock 11.02 seconds. Let’s wait and see what happens,” Dutee has been quoted as saying by a vernacular daily in Kolkata.
Dutee is naturally elated at getting the Arjuna. “I have faced a lot of hindrances and barriers in my life. There have been times when I did not get the respect I deserved. I have fought against all odds to come to this stage of my career. So I dedicate my Arjuna award to all those who are fighting against odds every moment… those that have beaten the hindrances and are still continuing to fight,” she said.
Why the desire to have lunch with Amitabh Bachchan? Well Dutee has interesting anecdote to offer. “I was on a TV show with him along with Hima Das. I told him how hard it has been in life for me,” informed Dutee. “Bachchan Sir told me never to lose hope and my confidence. He told me that if I win a medal from the Tokyo Games, he will have lunch with me. So now I have the double motivation to qualify and win a medal from Tokyo,” Dutee signed off.
