ATHLETICS | Quartermiler Priya is back and hungry for fast timings

Quartermiler Priya Mohan overcomes collapsed lungs, ready to make a comeback at Indian Open after surgery.

Last June, just as she was mentally preparing for the Inter-State Nationals in Bhubaneswar, quartermiler Priya Mohan felt a sharp pain in her chest and shoulders. She was training at the JSW’s Inspire Institute of Sport and was rushed to a hospital. Test results indicated that she had a rare lung condition, a case of collapsed lungs.

She had to undergo surgery, was in ICU for five days and had to take one-and-half month’s rest.

“I was devastated, I was crying all the time because I had missed out on the Asian Games. I did not even care about the issues in my life,” Priya, last year’s Federation Cup champion, told The Hindu from Ballari.

“Then I thought, may be God has different plans for me. I just need to be patient and see what happens.”

That phase was one of the toughest in the young girl’s life.

“After the surgery, I was at home in Bengaluru for nearly one-and-half months and for a couple of weeks I could not even raise my right hand. I had sleepless nights. Even when I resumed training in August, whenever the intensity increased, I used to get chest pain and pain in the ribs. I used to do yoga and other exercises,” said Priya, who turned 21 on Friday.

Priya, who was fourth in the 400m at the 2021 under-20 Worlds, is back and healthy now, and she is hungry to get back to fast timings soon. She will be making her comeback at the 400m Indian Open in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.