The scars will be there: Sprinter Dutee

Chand, affected by the same condition, hyperandrogenism, which has dogged the career of double Olympic champion Caster Semenya, fought and won a lengthy court battle to remain in the sport she loves. Now the 22-year-old is hoping for a redemptive medal at her long-delayed Asian Games debut in Jakarta, where she also has her eye on lowering India’s 100m record for the second time in two months.

“I am just so happy. I missed the 2014 Asian Games due to the hyperandrogenism row, so it’s my chance to prove my worth,” said Chand after a training session in Hyderabad.

“I hope my hard work pays off. I never thought of quitting. It’s always a dream for an athlete to represent their country and what happened was not my fault.” It has been a difficult road for Chand, who was born in rural poverty and suffered the psychological trauma of gender testing when she was just a teenager after showing elevated levels of testosterone in 2014.

After being diagnosed with hyperandrogenism, a condition which produces high testosterone levels, Chand was barred from competing under the International Association of Athletics Federation’s rules at the time. However, Chand took her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which finally ruled in her favour earlier this year.

“We are six sisters as my mother had wanted a son but that did not happen. We were poor and even getting two meals was tough. So I took to sports to earn money and improve myself,” she said. “I just wanted to run and had never heard of high testosterone and all that. So for those four years I was under tremendous mental pressure and could not concentrate on my training.”

“I didn’t take drugs or anything of that sort, it’s all natural. All human bodies are different. Natural hormones cannot be reduced or increased. Finally, people understood this and I won the case.”