Bhubaneswar: A day after being handed out a four-year ban for failing dope test, India’s fastest woman athlete Dutee Chand on Saturday made a startling revelation that she was diagnosed with type 1 cancer in November 2021.
“I got an MRI scan done at the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Bhubaneswar after returning from Olympics (July-August, 2021) as the the pain after a groin injury kept increasing and the doctor (Sudeep Satpathy) told me that a level 1 cancer attack has begun. He said I have to quit sport otherwise it will get worse,” the athlete told PTI.
She felt the pain in the groin area while competing in the National Inter-State Championships before the Tokyo Olympics (2021). Following the diagnosis, she went through multiple emotions – visibly frightened and nervous about the future.
Dutee told ANI that she then consulted a physiotherapist, who prescribed her medicines through a link on WhatsApp. “I showed the link and got the medicines from a chemist shop. After taking medicines, the pain subsided, and there was recovery. I did not do any other medical test because I was feeling all right, not much of pain. Then, I gave sample to NADA on November 28, 2022, when I was on leave and it came to a dope-positive result,” she said.
National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) refused to accept screenshots of the conversation between Dutee and the physiotherapist, who is from the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, exhibiting the medicines being recommended to her and instead demanded a certificate. The Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel said that it was a clear case “of intentional doping as there is no reason to believe that an athlete of her stature and repute would be so naive to ingest any substance in her body on advice of someone else.”
“I had challenged the test when it was released in March but I lost it. It never failed a dope test and so had expected some concession. I request the state and central governments and NDA to forgive me this time as there was no intention to increase the performance,” said the 27-year-old sprinter, who won 100m and 200m silver medals in the 2018 Asian Games.
Her counsel Parth Goswami earlier told the media that they will challenge the order. “It is a clear case of unintentional consumption of a banned substance. We were able to establish the source of the substance in the body which is a substantial proof of lack of intent. Substance was never used to gain any sporting advantage,” he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Though the news came as a shock for her family at Gopalpur village in Jajpur district, they are also hopeful that she will be cleared by the proper authority soon. “Her sacrifice has paid off in the past and she will overcome this hurdle as well,” said her elder sister Saraswati.
Her village is also praying for her.
