Jay Meena battled typhoid, hip injury & self-doubt to win historic Asian Games medal

NEW DELHI: Weeks before the 2026 Asian Games, Jay Meena was bedridden with typhoid and a severe infection, losing eight kilograms in the process. Sent home to Dewas in Madhya Pradesh from an Asian Games training camp in Srinagar in August, the 25-year-old needed his parents to feed him by hand for nearly a week.Recovery was difficult too. For a week, he would feel dizzy after walking just a few steps. An iffy stomach only made his attempts to regain his strength and return to shape more challenging.Cut to the present. The moment his opponent’s final shot drifted long and Meena won India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in Soft Tennis, the 25-year-old collapsed onto the baseline in joy. Moments later, he was back on his feet, arms spread wide and roaring towards the Indian bench. The celebration marked far more than a bronze medal.