The 23-year-old Dutee Chand clocked 11.32 seconds to win the gold as she led the race from start to finish.
Dutee Chand competing in a race. Pic/ AFP
National record holder Dutee Chand became the first Indian woman track and field athlete to clinch a gold medal in the World Universiade after she won the 100m dash event.
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The 23-year-old Dutee clocked 11.32 seconds to win the gold as she led the race from start to finish.
Running at lane number 4, Dutee was the first one out of the eight athletes to blast off the starting blocks and she made most of it to fend of a late challenge from Del Ponte (11.33) of Switzerland.
Dutee Chand took to Twitter to express her excitement of winning the gold:
u00f0u009fu008fu0085 Picked it up! pic.twitter.com/Qwci6Uz5Yr
— Dutee Chand (@DuteeChand) July 9, 2019
Pull me down, I will come back stronger! pic.twitter.com/PHO86ZrExl
— Dutee Chand (@DuteeChand) July 9, 2019
Lisa KwaYie of Germany took the bronze in 11.39 seconds in the race run past midnight Indian time on Tuesday.
The Odisha runner, whose national record stands at 11.24 seconds, thus became the first Indian to win a 100m gold in a global event.
She has now become only the second Indian sprinter to win a gold in a global event after Hima Das, who clinched the top spot in 400m in the World Junior Athletics Championships last year.
Dutee, who had a silver each in 100m and 200m in the 2018 Asian Games, is also only the second Indian track and field athlete to win a gold in the World Universiade. Inderjeet Singh had clinched the top spot in men's shot put event in the 2015 edition.
After winning the race, Dutee, who recently admitted to having a relationship with a girl, tweeted: "Pull me down, I will come back stronger!"
She further added: "With years of hardwork and your blessings, I have yet again broken the record by winning the Gold in 100m dash in 11.32 seconds at The World University Games, Napoli. In the pictures (picture of all three medal winners), are the winners too, with a heart of Gold from Germany and Sweden.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dutee qualified for the final with a time of 11.41 seconds in the semifinal, which had made her the first Indian sprinter to make it to the final of World Universiade.
On Monday, she had advanced to the semifinals from the heats with a time of 11.58 seconds.
Dutee has a season best of 11.26 seconds in 100m, recorded in the Doha Asian Championships in April. She could not reach the semifinals in the previous edition of the World University Games in Taipei City in 2017, where Sanjivani Jadhav had won a silver in women's 10000m race.
Dutee is a student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, a deemed university in Bhubaneswar. She is yet to qualify for the World Championships to be held in Doha in September-October.
Prominent personalities in India hailed Dutee Chand on Twitter. Read on:
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
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 10, 2019
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 Naplesu00f0u009fu0087u00aeu00f0u009fu0087u00b3 pic.twitter.com/Rh4phsKCEI
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) July 10, 2019
Thank you, sir. I will try my best to bring Olympics Gold Medal home. Once again, many thanks for your blessings. https://t.co/GuNzuhu6Yd
— Dutee Chand (@DuteeChand) July 10, 2019
Exceptional achievement of an exceptional athlete!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2019
Congratulations @DuteeChand for winning a hard earned and well deserved Gold in the Women’s 100 m finals.
You make India proud! #Universiade @FISU https://t.co/LVSkbsPZOP
Heartiest Congratulations to @DuteeChand for becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Summer Universiade in Napoli, Italy. More power to U. #WorldUniversityGames pic.twitter.com/lRR5VAkzFk
— Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) July 10, 2019
Way to go @DuteeChand ! The 100m sprint is the most exciting event in athletics. It’s a display of sheer physical ability and power. What a delight to see an Indian athlete power her way to the front, leaving all others behind.... https://t.co/7f0KQg48s6
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 10, 2019
Congratulations Sprint Queen @DuteeChand for winning the 100m sprint at the Universiade, the World University Games, in Naplesu00f0u009fu0087u00aeu00f0u009fu0087u00b3 . Jai Jagannath u00f0u009fu0099u008f pic.twitter.com/YQwOXSLMjN
— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 10, 2019
'Difficulties do not come to destroy you but to help you realise your hidden potential.' - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) July 10, 2019
Moment of pride for us as Indian sprinter @DuteeChand has won gold in the record-breaking 100 M dash in #WorldUniversityGames at Naples.
Hearty congratulations to you! https://t.co/xSnBwByUfa
Congrats @DuteeChand for becoming the first Indian to win 100m #gold at Summer Universiade, the #WorldUniversityGames, in Naples.
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 10, 2019
You are an achiever! Keep it up. pic.twitter.com/ptimzFc0Oa
With inputs from PTI
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