OP Jaisha to start training next week despite being advised a month's rest

Bengaluru: Athlete OP Jaisha is confident that she can start her training next week having recovered well from H1N1 fever which she contracted during the Rio Olympics even though the SAI doctor has advised her a month’s rest.

“After getting discharged from the hospital on 29 August, I am taking rest in my native - Thrissilery village near Manananthavady in Wayanad district. I will start from training from next week,” Jaisha said.

Jaisha had returned from Rio with fever and body ache in third week of this month and was hospitalized at Fortis Hospital on 26 August after she was tested positive for H1N1, couple of days after another athlete Sudha Singh was found to be suffering from the same disease.

The athlete had competed in the women’s marathon in Rio Olympics.

Jaisha said she knows her body well and is feeling good and ready for forthcoming competitions, including National Open Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games. “I know my body very well. I am feeling good and ready to forthcoming competitions including 2018 Commonwealth Games and the National Open Athletics Championships to be held at Lucknow, beginning from 25 September to 28 September,” she said.

Neither any doctor has advised her to take a month’s rest nor she is on medicines anymore, Jaisha said. “No doctor has advised me for a month’s rest and I am not on medicines for now,” she said.

Dr Sarla at SAI, on the contrary, said Jaisha has been advised a month’s rest before starting her training. “We have advised Jaisha to take a month’s bed rest before starting her training session,” she said.

Interestingly, Jaisha had raised panic among the officials of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) as she was reluctant to get her blood tested at the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases for suspected H1N1.

However, Jaisha gave in to their plea after an arduous effort.

The athlete was not physically available since 21 August after she had left SAI premises to leave for Kerala, but stayed in Bengaluru. She was however located by the officials of SAI and Karnataka Health Department on 24 August.

Asked in which city she would start her training, Jaisha said,“I am yet to decide on this, but before that I am attending an event organized by the Kerala Government in Ludhiana, Punjab on 6 September . I will make a decision in this regard after this event.”