At 17, sprinter Dutee Chand has caught the attention of the Indian athletics fraternity with her bronze medal in the Asian Athletics Championships early this month, and the teenager is now determined to make a mark at the international stage.
Chand, who grabbed a bronze in women's 200m in Asian Championships in Pune in her maiden international race, is being talked about as the next big thing in Indian athletics.
She ran 23.76secs in 200m in Pune and 11.62secs in 100m dash in the World Youth Championships in Ukraine -- both creditable timings for someone of her age.
Her coaches feel that national records of 11.38secs and 22.82secs in women's 100m and 200m would be hers in a few years' time.
Born to a cotton weaver father at Odisha's non-descript Chaka Gopalpur village at Jajpur district, Chand, just like any athlete, wants to win an Olympic medal but she also struggles to find time to complete her Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
"My ultimate aim is to win a gold in the Olympics but I also want to complete my BBA degree. I need that because I want to get a secured job as soon as possible," Chand told PTI in an interview.
Asked about her immediate plans, Chand said, "I am participating in the Asian Youth Games in China next month and looking to win a gold there in both 100m and 200m."
"Then next year, I want to do well in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. So the next one and half years is very important for me," she said.
She has enrolled herself for the BBA course at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in Bhuvaneswar, which is 45kms from his home.
"My parents want me to complete the five-year BBA course so that I can get a good government job on the basis of sports. Just 12th class pass will not give you a good job. So I study at least three hours at my hostel at NIS Patiala, mostly afternoon.
