Courtesy-The Indian Express
Jinson Johnson, India’s top middle-distance runner, was fully healed from a career-threatening injury in late 2019 and was in the greatest form of his career before the coronavirus ruined all of his goals. The 2018 Asian Games 1500m and 800m silver medalist tested positive for COVID-19 on April 12 at the Sports Authority of India facility in Bengaluru, along with five other athletes.
Breathlessness, fever, splitting head and body aching, and intense tiredness forced the 30-year-old army man to his knees, debunking the widely held idea that the virus does not weaken the physically healthy. “Unlike a few other athletes who tested positive throughout the camp, I experienced all of the symptoms. I was quite tired and having trouble breathing. I can’t remember the last time I had a fever, but this sickness knocked me out for the next two weeks,” Jinson said.
Jinson, who holds national records in both the 800m and 1500m, maintains a rigorous training routine and a stringent eating plan. However, Jinson’s case demonstrates that the virus does not discriminate between the fit and the sedentary.
Jinson, who has resumed his training in the Tamil Nadu highlands of Conoor, believes he has yet to fully recuperate from the virus’s attack. “I felt a lot of weakness in my muscles as I struck the ground for the first time following my recuperation. The respiratory problem persisted. I have yet to begin high-intensity training. I’m walking and jogging a lot. I, too, experienced post-corona effects like headaches, but I am now feeling better and have just restarted training,” Jinson added.
Dr. Heath Matthews, Head (Sports Science and Medicine), and his colleagues at the Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai are keeping a careful eye on him.