New Delhi: Ace sprinter Dutee Chand has been named Sportsperson of the Year in the second edition of the Vogue Women of the Year awards.
Besides winning the prestigious honour, Dutee will also feature on the cover of Vogue India’s November 2019 edition.
Dutee broke the national record in the 100-metre event at the National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi Ocrober 11. She won her semifinal with a time of 11.22 seconds and went on to win the final with a time of 11.25 seconds.
Besides her record-breaking feats on the track, Dutee is also considered as India’s first openly gay athlete. The Jajpur-born sprinter braved the media storm earlier this year and announced that she was in a same-sex relationship. The news earned her praise from many quarters, including a note of encouragement from American talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Speaking to the media earlier this month, Dutee insisted that she is singularly focused on qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I’m very happy to score my personal best in 100m at the National Championships. I broke the national record. I had worked really hard and I am happy that it bore fruit. Now my target is to score 11.15 which is the qualification standard for the Olympics,” Dutee said.
Besides Dutee, the only other sportsperson on Vogue’s honours list is Indian shooter Heena Sidhu.
Here is the full list of this year’s winners:
Dutee Chand – Sportsperson Of The Year
Lilly Singh – The Absolut Born Colourless Global Indian Of The Year (Female)
Kunal Nayyar – Global Indian Of The Year (Male)
Winnie Harlow – Global Changemaker Of The Year
Huda Kattan – Influencer Of The Year
Anushka Sharma – Style Icon Of The Year
Alia Bhatt – Performer Of The Year
Katrina Kaif – Risk Taker Of The Year
Taapsee Pannu – Trailblazer Of The Year (Female)
Ananya Panday – Youth Influencer Of The Year
Ranveer Singh – Man Of The Year
Dulquer Salmaan – Trailblazer Of The Year (Male)
Zoya Akhtar – Filmmaker Of The Year
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac – Visionary Of The Year
Ruchika Sachdeva – Designer Of The Year
Pooja Mor – Young Achiever Of The year
Garima Arora – Young Achiever Of The Year
Heena Sidhu – Young Achiever Of The Year
Sangita Jindal – Heritage Keeper Of The Year
Neera Nundy – Agent Of Social Change
Avni Biyani – Entrepreneur Of The Year
Falguni Nayar – Business Person Of The Year
PNN