Bhubaneswar: Sprinter Dutee Chand’s coach Nagapuri Ramesh stated here Wednesday that the main target for the sprinter is to qualify for the London Worlds next month.
“Right now, our main aim is to register the qualification time of 11.26 seconds for the World Championships,” Ramesh said on the sidelines of the felicitation ceremony, organised by KIIT and KISS for AAC-2017 medal winners Dutee, Srabani Nanda and Purnima Hembram. The educational institution also showed great heart by felicitating two other Oriya athletes, Jauna Murmu and Amiya Mallick who had missed out on medals. Chess player Saina Salonika who won the Commonwealth Chess Championship gold in New Delhi couple of days back was also honoured, at a city hotel here, Wednesday.
“We had two targets before the AAC – win a medal and qualify for the London meet. However, we managed to win only the bronze. So to fulfil the next target, Dutee will participate in the senior Inter-State Athletics meet in Guntur, July 16-17,” Ramesh informed.
Speaking about the ‘Androgen’ controversy which has surfaced again, Ramesh said that their legal team led by Canadian lawyer Jim Bunting, will take care of the issue.
The coaches of the athletes Nilamadhav Deo and Sanjay Garanayak, were also felicitated. KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta stated that the institutes will always support talented sportspersons in every way possible.
Dutee, Srabani and Purnima were also given cash incentives for their performances in AAC-2017. While Dutee received Rs 3,00,000 (double bronze medal), while Srabani and Purnima got Rs 1,50,000 each.
Among others present at the function were former cricketers Debashis Mohanty and Shiv Sundar Das, former footballer Sraddhanjali Samantray, Olympian Anuradha Biswal and CRPF IG KK Sharma.