'Taking medicines every day': How Humpy battled diarrhoea to win medals for India
Indian chess grandmaster Koneru Humpy secured two bronze medals at the Chess Olympiad despite suffering from severe illness. She attributed her performance to a sense of duty toward representing India, noting that she would have otherwise withdrawn.
Why it matters
Highlights the physical and mental pressures faced by elite athletes representing their nations in high-stakes international competitions.
NEW DELHI: What does playing for India actually mean for an athlete? At what point does physical pain become too much? When does the body simply say enough? The Indian teams at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, found themselves answering that question in their own way.Both the open and women’s teams had players battling illness during the tournament, yet both still walked away with medals - silver for the open team and bronze for the women. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, playing Board 1 for the open team, had already told TimesofIndia.com how he shook off a rare bout of cold and fever to help India secure team silver while also claiming an individual bronze.For Koneru Humpy, the ordeal was even tougher.
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