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.

“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.

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.