2019 World Athletics Championships Watch: Dutee Chand

The 17th edition of the IAAF World Athletics Championships is all set to kick start from September 27 in Doha, Qatar with the elite prize of successful qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games for the winners in both the men’s and women’s events.

The 30-member Indian contingent is ready to make their mark in the preliminary rounds on Friday. With Hima Das ruling out of the championships due to a nagging back problem, all the hopes of the nation lies with the fastest Indian sprinter Dutee Chand.

Dutee Chand caught the eyes of the world at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta where she clinched a silver medal in women's 100m race - India's first medal in this event since 1998. She also finished at the second spot in the women's 200m event, winning the silver medal in this event for her nation after 16 years.

Her recent success came at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Napoli, where she bagged a gold medal in 100m race. The Odisha runner, whose national record stands at 11.24 seconds, thus became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Universiade.

The 23-year-old sprinter from Odisha, who entered the Worlds team by virtue of an invitation from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), will be taking part only in the 100m event in Doha

It is quite natural that the whole nation rests their hope in Dutee Chand as they look upon her to win the first-ever medal in the racing events at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships. While Chand aims to match her national record of 11.24 seconds in the 100m race.

Dutee Chand will certainly aspire to put an end to the 16-year-old medal drought for India at the IAAF World Athletics Championships with Anju Bobby winning the first and only medal at the big-ticket competition in 2003.

India stands at the last position in the all-time medal table of the IAAF World Athletics Championships with only one medal in the cabinet. The Indian contingent will certainly not be the favorites at Athletics' biggest event. However, Dutee Chand unquestionably has the caliber to turn out to be a dark horse in Doha.

The sprinter is also preparing herself for the best as she gets ready for the uphill task of competing in the scorching heat of Qatar. Previously winning a bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha, Dutee Chand is familiar with the challenging weather in the tiny middle eastern nation. The temperature in Doha is expected to touch 35 degree Celsius during the event but Chand is not too worried about it.

She has been undergoing late evening training in Bhubaneshwar in order to experience a similar type of weather conditions in Doha. With all the preparations for the extravagant event, Dutee can possibly turn out to be an ace card for India.