Dutee Chand wins historic 100m gold in World University Games

Dutee Chand bagged the 100m gold medal in the ongoing World University Games in Naples, Italy. The sprinter registered the timings of 11.32 seconds to claim the top prize. No other Indian athlete had qualified for the 100-m final in the history of University Games before this. This is India’s first medal win at the event. Chand surpassed her opponent Ajla Del Ponte of Switzerland by just 0.1 second to win the gold. Ponte, who finished with a time off 11.33 seconds, had to settle with a silver medal.

The athlete had qualified for the final with a time of 11.41 seconds in the semifinal earlier on Tuesday. On Monday, she reached the semis, registering a timing of 11.58 seconds in the heats.

President Ram Nath Kovind congratulated the sprinter Dutee Chand for the win. “Congratulations @DuteeChand for winning the 100m sprint at the Universiade, the World University Games, in Naples. This is India’s first such gold and a moment of immense pride for our country. Please keep up the effort, and look to greater glory at the Olympics #PresidentKovind,” read a tweet on the President’s official Twitter handle.

Union Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju, also praised Chand in a congratulatory tweet. “I’ve been passionately following since my childhood but it never came. Finally, for the first time, a gold for India! Congratulations @DuteeChand for winning the 100m sprint at the Universiade, the World University Games, in Naples,” Rijiju tweeted.