The 64th Indian Interstate Athletics Championships in Chennai produced a moment of redemption and resurgence for Dhanalakshmi Sekar, who stormed to the women’s 100m title with a lifetime best of 11.36 seconds.
The performance not only gave her the national crown but also marked a remarkable comeback after serving a three-year doping ban, a period that threatened to derail her career entirely. At 27, Dhanalakshmi’s career has already seen dramatic highs and difficult lows. Once regarded as one of the brightest talents in Indian sprinting, her momentum was halted by a doping suspension that sidelined her from the sport just as she was beginning to establish herself internationally.
On Thursday evening, however, she returned to the track in her home state of Tamil Nadu with renewed purpose. Lining up against a competitive field, she produced a blistering start, maintained her form through the mid-race, and crossed the finish line to the roar of the Chennai crowd in 11.36s shaving 0.02 seconds off her previous personal best of 11.38s, set in 2021.
For a sprinter whose career looked uncertain only months ago, the performance was as emotional as it was technical, a statement that she remains a force in Indian sprinting.
Best Indian Performance in Three Years
Dhanalakshmi’s winning time is significant in more ways than one. It is the fastest 100m time by an Indian woman in nearly three years. More importantly, the performance positions her alongside some of the most established names in Indian sprinting history. With her 11.36s effort, Dhanalakshmi now shares the fourth-fastest all-time Indian women’s 100m mark along with Srabani Nanda & Giridharani
Ahead of them remain legends such as Dutee Chand, Merlin and Rachita , whose records have defined the event over the past decade. While she has not yet crossed the sub-11.30 threshold, often seen as the gateway to global competitiveness, her return to form ensures that she re-enters the conversation as India prepares for a packed athletics calendar leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.
Adding to the sense of home-state pride, Dhanalakshmi was joined on the podium by fellow Tamil Nadu sprinter Abinaya Rajarajan, who finished second. The result underlined Tamil Nadu’s continuing dominance in the women’s sprints at the national level, a tradition that has produced champions like Saraswati Saha, the former national record holder.
The performance was met with celebration from the Chennai crowd, which had turned up in large numbers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. For Dhanalakshmi, who grew up training on the very tracks where she now stood as champion again, the moment was nothing short of poetic. For Dhanalakshmi, the gold medal carries weight beyond the stopwatch. After the stigma of a doping ban, returning to win at a national championships, in front of peers and rivals, is a testament to her perseverance. It is also a reminder that comebacks in sport require not just physical readiness but also immense mental resilience.
The victory also puts her back into the reckoning for future international competitions. With India increasingly targeting athletics as a key medal sport, particularly after Neeraj Chopra’s javelin heroics, the emergence of sprinters capable of pushing the 11-second barrier will be crucial. In a relay setup, the difference between finishing in the top three or missing out often lies in having multiple runners consistently around the 11.3–11.4 mark a standard Dhanalakshmi has now re-established for herself.
From 2021 Promise to 2025 Redemption
Dhanalakshmi’s career has been a story of promise interrupted. In 2021, she broke through with a stunning 11.38s run, which placed her among India’s fastest sprinters and earned her selection to international competitions. She was viewed as a potential Olympic relay contributor and an individual 100m contender.
However, the doping suspension imposed later that year abruptly halted her rise. For three years, she trained in relative obscurity, her return to the track uncertain. Few athletes successfully rebound from such lengthy absences. But her determination was evident when she began her comeback in early 2025, steadily lowering her times before peaking at the Interstate Championships.
Dhanalakshmi’s next challenge will be to convert this momentum into consistency. Sprinting is unforgiving; maintaining rhythm and avoiding injuries will be critical. She will also need to fine-tune her starts and her top-end speed if she hopes to dip under 11.30 and challenge the national record in the future.
For now, though, her victory is an emphatic reminder of her talent and resilience. It also strengthens India’s sprinting depth, with Abinaya, Nithya, Jyothi Yarraji (though primarily a hurdler), and now Dhanalakshmi Sekar all capable of contributing to a competitive women’s relay squad.
Conclusion
The 64th Indian Interstate Championships will be remembered for many standout performances, but none more inspiring than Dhanalakshmi Sekar’s gold in the 100m sprint. Her 11.36-second run, a personal best and the fastest by an Indian woman in three years, was more than a race it was a story of redemption, resilience, and revival. For a sprinter who once faced the abyss, this gold medal in Chennai may well mark the beginning of a new chapter. If she can build on this performance, Indian athletics might just have regained a sprinter capable of carrying the baton into the global spotlight once again.
