An Indian athlete who ran a 42-kilometer-race at the Rio Olympics has said she was “nearly dead” at the end of her race as the Indian officials failed to provide her much-needed refreshments and water at regular intervals during the course of the race.
OP Jaisha told journalists on reaching Bengaluru in India that the Indian desks along the route of her race were unstaffed and there was no water or food for her. Running that distance, in that heat, you need so much water. There is a common water point after 8 km, but you need water after each kilometre. Other athletes were getting food along the way. I got nothing," she told NDTV.
"Running that distance, in that heat, you need so much water. There is a common water point after 8 km, but you need water after each kilometre. Other athletes were getting food along the way. I got nothing," she told NDTV.
Participating athletes can have their countries put up desks every 2.5 km to for liquids. Jaisha says she had to rely on the official Olympics counters for water every 8 km apart.
Jaisha collapsed after finishing the marathon. She said the Indian officials had no idea of her condition.
“I was unconscious for three hours. When my coach arrived, I had no pulse, my body was cold. He thought I was dead,” Jaisha told Times Now.
However, a top Indian official of the Athletics Federation of India refuted her claim that officials were missing. He said Jaisha and her coach had refused the offer to have refreshments at the counters.
NDTV reported that doctors at the Sports Authority of India were shocked by her condition and wanted to admit her to a hospital on her return to Bengaluru, but Jaisha preferred to go home for her treatment.
Jaisha said she had prepared for the games really well and ran the first 21 km of the race in her expected time. But as the heat soared in Rio, the lack of water and food took its toll on her.
