How Dutee Chand can qualify for Tokyo Olympics?

Dutee Chand, though, set a new national record. The 25-year-old surpassed her own national record of 11.22 seconds which was set in the year 2019.

Dutee ran the distance of 100m in an impressive 11.17 seconds – a time unheard of in Indian athletics. Though she fell short of the Olympic qualifying standard, which is set at 11.15 seconds, by a mere 0.02 seconds, she has certainly improved her chances of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

So is there a way she still can qualify for Tokyo Olympics?

In the women's 100m race at the Olympics, there will be 56 entrants based on reaching the qualifying mark and followed by the world rankings. The last qualifying date for the Tokyo Olympics is set as June 29 2021.

Dutee will now look forward to taking part in the 60th National inter-State athletics championship held at two venues in Patiala, the National Institute of Sports (24 events) and the Punjabi University ground (19 events), from June 25 to 29.

So if Dutee breaches the qualifying mark of 11.15 secs in the next competition, she will directly qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Or else, she will qualify for the Olympics, anyway, because of her rankings. Out of the 56 participants at the games, she is ranked at the 42nd position in the world, which certainly confirms her entry into Olympics in 100m event.

In the women's 200m event, Dutee has a personal best of 23.00, but the qualifying mark for the Tokyo Olympics is 22.80. Dutee, though didn't take part in the 200m event at the Indian Grand Prix 4 today, she might race in the National inter-State athletics championship this week, where she has to breach the qualification timing to secure direct entry. But here also, Dutee is ranked 45th in the world out of the 56 entrants who will take part in the women's 200m race. That makes Dutee's entry quite certain in Tokyo Olympics for this event.