Indian sprinter Dutee Chand has revealed she is in a same-sex relationship, becoming the first openly gay athlete in the socially conservative country, according to an interview published on Sunday. Chand, 23, told The Sunday Express she was in a relationship with a woman from her village in eastern Odisha state, saying she got the courage to come out after India’s top court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex last year. “I have found someone who is my soulmate. I believe everyone should have the freedom to be with whoever they decide they want to be with,” Chand said in the interview. She said her current focus was on upcoming international competitions, including the Olympics, but “in the future I would like to settle down with her”.