Less than a month ago, Bharat Sridhar was nursing a ligament injury in his left ankle which put his participation in the World U20 Championship in doubt.
In June, the 18-year-old from Viluppuram district in Tamil Nadu tested positive for Covid-19 and missed nearly a month of practice.
Sridhar made it to Nairobi despite a medical doctor telling him he would have to sit at home. Physios at the national camp in Patiala strapped his ankle and worked their magic to get him on the plane. The coaches managed his workload smartly.
Sridhar didn’t run the 4x400m mixed relay heats but the Indian team management in Nairobi placed their faith in him for the final. He pushed his body to the limit, unmindful of aggravating an injury to give the Indian team a solid start.
