Who dares, wins. The 20-year-old Chandigarh lad, Rtunjay Ohlan, who had suffered a life-threatening injury last year, just a day before he was to take part in the annual athletics meet at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), has proved the old adage right. This year, he won a bronze medal in the 400m race during the athletics meet held at GADVASU on Thursday.
It was on March 11 last year that a javelin (thrown by another participant) had got stuck in Rtunjay’s neck while he was training for a track event on ground as he was to participate in the annual athletics meet at GADVASU.
“Many times, when I tried to step back on the track, the incident kept coming back in my mind and my legs began to shiver. It took several attempts for me to get rid of the fear and keep running,” said Rtunjay, who is studying at the department of veterinary and animal sciences of Khalsa College in Amritsar.
Talking about the incident, Harshdeep Singh, a student of the department of fisheries, who had pulled out the javelin from his neck on March 11, said, “The javelin had got stuck in Rtunjay’s neck like an arrow. He kept lying on the ground in shock for about 30 minutes, after which the ambulance had arrived.”
“The comeback wasn’t easy. After the operation, I remained under observation in the hospital for 21 days. I weighed 69kg when the incident took place, but by the time I was discharged from the hospital, it had dropped to 43kg,” said Rtunjay.
{{/usCountry}}“The comeback wasn’t easy. After the operation, I remained under observation in the hospital for 21 days. I weighed 69kg when the incident took place, but by the time I was discharged from the hospital, it had dropped to 43kg,” said Rtunjay.
{{/usCountry}}“The ordeal was still not over. I was bedridden for three more months and on a liquid diet. By July, when I was back on my feet, my health had deteriorated. I had lost hope of going back on the track again,” he said.
But my family motivated me during the testing times, he said, adding that he gives credit for this feat to his father Rajesh Ohaln, mother Suman, brother Lavanya, and grandmother Savatri Devi.
“Without them, it would not have been possible. My parents and brother used to take me out on a walk. Yoga helped cure my breathing issues. It was only in September that I started working on my fitness and diet,” said Rtunjay.
After a dream start, Rtunjay is set to participate in the Inter- Agriculture University Athletics Meet to be held in March at Tirupati.