Dutee Chand, the Indian sprinter who became one of the few athletes in the world to openly admit being in a same-sex relationship in May, won the 100m gold medal in the 30th Summer University Games in Naples, Italy, becoming the first Indian to do so. After the medal glory, Dutee Chand posted an inspiring message on Twitter, along with a picture of her gold medal and a mini mascot of the games. "Pull me down, I will come back stronger!," Dutee Chand said in a tweet.
The President of India Ram Nath Kovind congratulated the Indian sprinter, saying: "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."
Chand won the gold medal in just 11.32 seconds. She also holds the 100m national record with 11.24 seconds.
"With years of hard work and your blessings, I have yet again broken the record by winning the Gold in the 100m dash in 11.32 seconds at The World University Games, Napoli. In the pictures, are the winners too, with a heart of Gold from Germany and Sweden. @Napoli2019_ita," Chand tweeted.
She posted a picture of her with the gold medal and captioned it "Picked it up".
Chand recently made headlines as she disclosed that she's in a same-sex relationship.
"This is my personal matter. I am sure everything will be fine in a month or two. On the international level, there are several athletes (who are in a same-sex relationship). To live, everybody needs a partner who understands your heart. We like each other so we decided to live together. She gives me motivation for my sport. My focus on sports will be intact," she had said.
"Problem will come and go in future, nobody can take guarantee of that. But I think there won't be any problem. If it won't happen, I'll be able to focus more on my training. My focus is on Olympics 2020 (to be held in Tokyo). I am training to qualify and participate in the Olympics," she added.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS)