One second stands between transgender woman Prithika and her dream of becoming a police officer

India’s very own Caitlyn Jenner, 24-year-old Prithika Yashini has suffered a setback.

The first transgender woman to appear for recruitment to the state-law enforcement agency, she failed to pass the 100-metre run during the tests. Yashini was to run the distance in 17.5 seconds or less at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. The officers informed her that she had unfortunately completed the race in 18.6 seconds, and missed out by a little over a second.

But this isn’t the first hardship she has had to face in life. After being disowned by her family and ridiculed by her college mates, she eventually made the decision to complete her transformation and move to Chennai. And her troubles continued.

Her application for the sub-inspector tests was first rejected and she couldn’t appear at the selections as her educational certificates were issued in her previous (male) name. Only after appealing to the Madras High Court could she finally appear for the exams.

Becoming a police officer has been her dream ever since she was a child in her village of Kondalampatti in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu

“I think I was four or five years old when I decided that I wanted to become a police officer. That ambition remained even during the tough times,” she said to the New Indian Express .

“I am now at the selection process. It is like a dream come true,” Prithika had told The Hindu . But her elation was short-lived.

Her friend Bhanu told DNA that they plan on taking this matter up in court, "They didn’t send a call letter for the physical or exam - they just informed us on the phone the night before. We don’t know how they disqualified her in the 100 m so we need to go to court once again.”

“If only I were considered as a third gender and treated fairly,” lamented Yashini to  The New Indian Express .