Pain and Glory: Hidden battles that athletes fight to become winners
Yuvraj Singh, for many, remains the benchmark. Despite battling an early onset of cancer, he helped India win the 2011 World Cup on home soil. While it wasn’t known at the time, his achievement in earning the Player of the Tournament award seems even more significant considering his health struggles.
Often, health issues are beyond anybody’s control. Abhinav Bindra, for instance, battled epilepsy during the shooting final at 2016 Rio Olympics.
“I did not want people to know because I did not want sympathy. I failed to win a medal in Rio not because I had epilepsy but because I wasn’t good enough in the final,” said Bindra, a very proud athlete.
Among the current stars, HS Prannoy, one of the heroes of India’s Thomas Cup victory in 2022, continues to deal with the Gastroesophageal Reflux disease.
“There are days when I don’t even want to go to the gym to train. I don’t want to play because I know my body won’t allow me to perform well. It is very hard to deal with. [Recently it affected me] during the All England, and after that it took me weeks to come to terms with it. You don’t know which days it will hit you. It affects your mind,” said Prannoy, who has already made the cut for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
But, with the Olympics just a couple of months away, Prannoy can’t afford to waste any time. “I have no other option. I can’t sit back thinking I have an issue. Rather we are all working to get it in control and will do my best to be in good physical and mental shape for Paris,” he said.
Lakshya Sen
