National Record Holder OP Jaisha Still Hopes For Arjuna Award After Being Rejected Four Times

After the Rio Olympics row over Indian officials' poor arrangements during the 42km marathon, OP Jaisha hopes to win the Arjuna Award. Thirty-three-year-old Jaisha, who twice won Asian Games bronze medal, twice Asian Indoor Games gold medal and made a national record, is disheartened at not getting Arjuna Award despite being nominated four consecutive times.

BCCL

Hailing from a village in Kerala, Jaisha married Ludhiana-based athlete Gurmeet Singh in 2010. She has alleged that the Indian officials at Rio did not even arrange water for her, as a result she collapsed at the finish line.

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Her husband said, "It is shameful that an Olympics participant was left at God's mercy. How can Indian officials be so negligent? A day before her event, during our telephonic conversation, she told me that she was fit and ready to give her best. Negligence could have cost her life." Asserting that rather than quitting, she will now fight back, Singh said despite so many achievements, she was ignored for Arjuna Award.

Kavita Raut Rejects OP Jaisha's Claims

BCCL

Earlier, Jaisha had said that this would be her last marathon and probably she would take retirement. However, her husband said, "Jaisha will not retire till she gets the award. She will though quit marathon. I will train her for 1,500m."

After returning, Jaisha went to Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centre at Bengaluru and now she was at her cousin's place in that city, so that she could get better care, he said. "Though she is feeling better, she will need time to recover," he added.