Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s ace sprinter Dutee Chand was awarded with the prestigious Arjuna Award Saturday.
On the occasion of National Sports Day, President Ram Nath Kovind in a virtual award ceremony felicitated Chand with the honour.
Dutee was shortlisted for the award August 19 among 27 other sportspersons of India. After getting the award she became the 9th Arjuna awardee from Odisha.
Also Read: CM asks 7 IAS officers to monitor flood situations in seven flood-hit districts
The eight other sportspersons of Odisha who have also won the prestigious Arjuna Award are Minati Mohapatra (cyclist), Rachita Mistry (athlete), Bijay Kumar Satpathy (weightlifter), K Ravi Kumar (weightlifter), Dilip Tirkey (hockey), Ignace Tirkey (hockey), Jyoti Sunita Kullu (hockey) and Pramod Bhagat (para-badminton).
Dutee is an Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women’s 100 metres event. She is a resident of Jajpur district and was born in February 3, 1996. She is the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women’s 100 metres event at the Summer Olympic Games.
Dutee is also India’s first athlete to openly come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, when she spoke about being in a same-sex relationship in 2019.
PNN
