My struggle has got me sweet successes and recognition: Arjun Awardee Duttee Chand
BY SUKANT MOHANTY
BHUBANESWAR, AUG. 29: Ace sprinter from Odisha Dutee Chand, who was on Saturday conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award for the year 2020, said her struggle had brought her ‘sweet successes’ and recognitions.
“My 14 years of struggle and hard work has brought me enough successes and recognition. This Arjun Award is a very special recognition for me. Every sportsperson cherishes a dream to get it in his lifetime,” Dutee said while receiving the award from President Ram Nath Kovind.
The athlete who in the past faced questions on her gender and was banned temporarily from international events thanked followers and supporters for standing by her during hard times.
She also took to micro-blogging site Twitter and wrote, “Grateful and proud of my journey till now. Lots to achieve still. Let’s get to work!”
The sprint queen of India was nominated for the award in the discipline of athletics. She was among 27 sportspersons to have been selected for the Arjuna Award. With this, she became the 9th Arjuna awardee from Odisha.
Earlier, eight sportspersons from Odisha have won the Arjuna Award. They include Minati Mohapatra (cyclist), Bijay Kumar Satpathy (weightlifter), Rachita Mistry (athlete), Dilip Tirkey (hockey), Jyoti Sunita Kullu (hockey), Ignace Tirkey (hockey), K Ravi Kumar (weightlifter), and Pramod Bhagat (para-badminton).
