Dutee Chand, India’s first openly gay sports star, has fought many battles off the track in recent years but for the next 12 months the sprinter is hoping to focus entirely on her running as she builds towards the Tokyo Olympics. From her battle against the IAAF gender testing rules to coming out as a lesbian in what is still a highly conservative country, Chand is used to making headlines but she hopes over the next year they will mainly be about her sporting prowess. India’s fastest woman, Chand holds the national record for the 100 metres with a time of 11.24 seconds and is a former Asian junior champion as well as Asian Games silver medallist in the blue riband event. The jump from national or continental success to global contender is a big one, however, and her season’s best time of 11.26 ranks her only joint 78th in the world. Still, with a year to go until Tokyo, the 23-year-old from Jaipur is confident she will make the qualifying mark of 11.15. “I believe that hard work always pays off and I am working diligently to win more laurels for my country in the upcoming competitions,” Chand told Reuters in an interview.