Dutee Chand clinches gold in National Open Athletics

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand marked her return in the National Open Athletic Championship by laying her hands on the coveted gold in <g data-gr-id="16">100-metre</g> sprint on Thursday at the 55th edition. She did not start off well, but she was at her best in the last few metres as she edged past rival Srabani Nanda, who stood second. Earlier in the heats <g data-gr-id="12">condcuted</g> on Wednesday, too, <g data-gr-id="13">Dutee</g> was a notch above the rest. <g data-gr-id="14">Dutee</g> clocked 11.68 seconds, just ahead of Nanda who crossed the line in 11.70 seconds. The Railways athlete, however, fell short of the Olympic qualifying mark of 11.32 seconds.

The sprinter was banned last year by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as her body produced testosterone at levels which were deemed higher than the limits for women sportspersons. But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July cleared the sprinter by suspending the “hyperandrogenism” rules.