BENGALURU: Two-time World U-20 medallist and one of India’s top 400m runners, Priya Mohan, will miss the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games owing to a rare lung condition.
Priya had opened this season with a gold in the U-20 category in the 4th Indian Open 400m Nationals clocking 53.55s. She then improved her timing to 53.40s for the Federation Cup gold.
She was aiming to meet the Asiad qualification mark of 52.96s at the recent Inter-State meet when misfortune struck in the form of a spontaneous injury.
“Priya, a JSW athlete who trains at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Ballari, was getting ready to grab an Asiad berth in Bhubaneswar when this condition cropped up all of a sudden. For three days she had shoulder pain and it got worse on June 8 as the pain began to radiate.
"She underwent further tests at a Ballari hospital. Later in the night on the same day, the doctors diagnosed her condition and she underwent an emergency surgery at midnight,” sources close to the athlete told TOI.
“The medical staff first thought of shifting Priya to Bengaluru but soon realized the gravity of the situation. Her parents’ consent was sought before the procedure was performed,” they added.
The promising 20-year-old, who helped India win a silver in 2022 U-20 Worlds in Cali, Colombia, in the 4x400m mixed relay and a bronze in the same event in the 2021 edition in Nairobi, Kenya, is now recovering well after a few days in the ICU.
Her doctors are surprised how an athlete got this condition.
“A second year BSc student at Mount Carmel College, Priya is now trained by 2000 Olympic gold medallist Anier Garcia and has developed a good rapport with the Cuban. The coach has told her to take it easy as health comes first,” sources said.
Priya’s season was charted out with the Asian Games in focus but the plans have now gone haywire.
“After the Inter-state event, Priya was set to fly out for a foreign training stint ahead of the Asiad,” sources said.
With Asian Games beyond her reach now, she is targeting next year’s Paris Olympics.
