Struck down by a viral infection called chikungunya earlier this month – he spent five days in hospital battling fever and muscle pain – HS Prannoy nevertheless was relieved that he had had enough time to make it to Paris 2024.
And despite still coming to terms with the effects of the infection, Prannoy found the physical and mental reserves to outplay hard-hitting Vietnamese Le Duc Phat in three games and book a quarterfinal against his compatriot Lakshya Sen.
“Tough few weeks, but just glad to be here,” said Prannoy. “If that would have happened a week later, I wouldn’t have been here. In one way, lucky to be here, and experiencing such a big crowd and being able to play, so hopefully we can go deeper into the tournament.
“I was in hospital for five days. It was a lot of body pain and whenever chikungunya comes (it usually) stretches for three to four months, and that’s the toughest part.”
Having dealt with other challenging medical issues previously, including a hard-to-diagnose case of acid reflux, Prannoy is thankful just to be in Paris.
“Whatever time we got, we worked, and the entire team supported me. A lot of things weren’t in our control.”
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