India’s 29-year-old Asian Games medallist and Olympian is currently serving four years ban which will end in November 2026
Navneet Singh
Asian Games medallist and Olympian in short sprints, Dutee Chand, is a fierce competitor on and off the track. The 29-year-old, serving a four-year doping ban, knows the importance of maintaining her focus to excel on the track. That’s why she isn’t thinking too far ahead and is trying stay focused on her day-to-day fitness programme while eyeing a comeback in a little more than a year’s time.
Dutee, who holds the women’s 100m national record of 11.17 seconds, is serving a four-year ban for doping and will return to the track next year in November. “I will miss both the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland and Asian Games in Japan,” Dutee told Sportsbackstory.com from Rourkela over the phone.
Rourkela in Odisha is her new training base. Earlier she used to practice at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium.
Dutee says that she will certainly plan to race at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. “I’ll be back to track in 2027. I’ll have enough time to prepare and qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games,” she claims.
The star sprinter’s future plans, however, could kick up a storm in the athletics world.
Being a fierce competitor, the Odisha sprinter will leave no stone unturned to make it to the national team for the 2028 LA Olympic Games.
SRY Gene Test
She could face challenges on and off the track on her comeback. One of the main tests will be World Athletics’ latest regulation, which came into force on September 1 this year, that all female athletes will have to undergo a one-time SRY Gene Test to be eligible to compete in female categories in events sanctioned by the world governing body in track and field. The SRY Gene Test could be done through cheek swabs or blood samples. Non-compliance will rule out athletes from competing in the female category in all events sanctioned by World Athletics. Caster Semenya
Recently, South African female middle distance runner and two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya, facing gender issue, ended her seven-year-long legal battle against World Athletics. In 2019, the world body in track and field banned her from competing in the female category in all international meets as she refused to follow regulations to reduce her hormone levels.
Dutee’s hyperandrogenism issue had raised a storm in 2014. She fought hard and returned to track. According to Dutee she is currently enjoying her fitness programme. At the moment she isn’t keen to use her energy on issues that immediately don’t restrict her from practice. “My department has given me time to practice. There are no restrictions,” Dutee says. “I don’t want to ponder on issues that are some 12 months away.”
ENDS
