Dutee is quick in analysing both her opponents and herself, reveals Nagapuri Ramesh

As Dutee went ahead to claim two medals in the 100m and 200m event, the whole episode has made his coach ecstatic. Working for the Sports Authority of India, Nagapuri personally mentors Dutee. In an interaction with the TOI, he shared his happiness on her achievement.

“I am very happy. Especially because an Indian has won a medal in the 100m after 20 years. It shows how tough the event is. The credit goes to Dutee because that shows her potential and how much hard work she has put in. It also shows how quick she is in analysing both her opponents and herself,” coach Nagapuri told TOI.

He also mentioned the tough times when Dutee was suspended in 2014, due to high testosterone levels. He told that Dutee never wants anyone to go through, what she had to experience. He acknowledged Pullela Gopichand’s help in the whole matter. Dutee was the first non-badminton athlete to have resided in the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad.

“It was very challenging and tough time. Dutee always says she doesn't want anyone to experience what she did (during that time). That shows how difficult that situation was for her. But it might be her destiny, that, everytime she found support. During that phase, gender scientist Dr. Payoshni Mitra walked in (to help her). The Ministry supported her by filing a case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). And when she asked me, I requested Pullela Gopichand. On one request, Gopichand allowed Dutee to stay in his academy and she started training again,” he said.

“Gopichand didn't know much about Dutee at that time, because she was not very popular then. Because he has a  lot of faith in me, one request and he said 'No problem. Let her stay.’ It's the first time a non-badminton athlete was stepping inside the academy. That's how things happened. Seeing the hard work she put in everybody adored her. She is very comfortable there."

Talking about the Tokyo Olympics, he mentioned that they are working on bringing her 100m timing under 11 second mark. For now, he wants Dutee to enjoy her achievement.

“First of all I want her to relish this Asian Games achievement. The Federation and the Government are supporting her and if some more support comes in, we want to plan to bring the 100m timing down to below the 11 second mark (Dutee clocked 11.32 seconds at the Asian Games in the 100m). If we can do that by 2020, anything can happen. It's better to set performance targets than anything else,” Nagapuri said.