Kishore Jena thought he had made a mistake by having surgery in early October of last year. He needed surgery for a painful bone growth at his left ankle, but as was to be expected, he had a very hard time walking after the procedure. Jena, who won a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and once threw more than 87 meters, was plagued with doubts.
“I felt like I had made a mistake in the initial days following surgery (in Mumbai).” I had to sit down since I was unable to walk normally. “How will I ever throw again?” I asked myself. However, with the help of the coach and physiotherapist, I started to heal. I feel better now,” Jena remembered.
One comforting message was from Chopra. “When you are down, not many people stand by you,” Jena said when asked about those who kept in touch. “Neeraj bhai messaged saying ‘everything will be fine’ after I had posted about the surgery.”
Jena returned to competition earlier this week at the Indian Open in Chennai, six months after undergoing ankle surgery. His personal best of 87.54 meters at the Hangzhou Asiad was far greater than a meek 75.99 meters. One indicator of progress was the ability to run from a full approach. Jena’s next event is the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championship, which begins on Monday in Kochi. He will be visiting Doha for the Diamond League next month.
Jena’s fortunes are linked to the country’s might in javelin. He’s the second-best Indian after Chopra in terms of distance and was one of the three Indians to reach the final of the 2023 World Championships. But from the high of the silver at the 2023 Asian Games, Jena, carrying an injury at the Olympics, didn’t qualify for the final last year.
“The Indian Open was my first competition after the Olympics. It was important to participate to remove the fear of injury. If I think that I will throw the javelin only when I have zero pain, that will never happen,” Jena said.
The left-ankle injury affected Jena’s blocking leg. A good block helps transfer energy into the javelin and generate power.
Jena first felt pain in his left ankle during pre-season training in April last year. He was at Patiala. He brushed it off as a strain. “When you throw the javelin there will be discomfort in the ankle. I didn’t think it was major,” Jena said. An MRI gave the true picture.
However, Jena didn’t want to be on the sidelines with the Olympics just months away. So he took the big call to throw despite the pain. “It was my blocking leg, so it was difficult. I could only lift (weights) and cycle. Running and jumping (during training) was hardly possible,” the 29-year-old athlete said.
Steve Lemke, the throws coach at the Reliance Foundation, is a key person Jena sought advice from before opting for surgery. The Lemke-Jena partnership began after the Paris Olympics.
“He’s got to be mentally confident that his left leg can handle all that pressure. So we have had to build his confidence, beside his health. There’s still room to improve with the strength of the ankle. But definitely he’s getting very close now,” Lemke said.
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