Bhubaneswar: As Odisha’s darling sprinter Dutee Chand entered into the Indian contingent for the World Athletics Championships to be held from August 4 to 13 in London, the Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik dished out Rs 5 lakh as incentive for the athlete. The other Odisha athlete Jauna Murmu who is also going to be seen in action in London event has also been given Rs 5 lakh as incentive.
Dutee’s entry into the global event became clear on Saturday when the apex tribunal of international sports suspended the policy of IAAF, which had barred her from competition for another two months.
Dutee, the 21 year old sprinter with a record of 11.30 seconds for 100mt race, had missed the original entry standard of 11.26s. As the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) could not get the required 56 number of athletes for the 100mt race event, Dutee got an invitation from the international athletics body. Dutee is holding a global ranking of 103 with her 11.30s timings at the Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi on May 15.
Announcing the cash incentives for the two promising athletes of the state, the chief minister wished them all success in the Championship and hoped that they would bring glory to the country.
