India's ace marathon runner O.P. Jaisha has revealed just how callous Indian officials were when it came to taking care of the country's star athletes who represented India at the Rio Olympic Games.
While Indian officials are already in the dog house for spending a great deal of time taking selfies at the 2016 Games, and trying to bully their way into sporting events, what Jaisha has revealed crosses all limits of unacceptable behavior.
Jaisha told The Times of India that no Indian officials were present to give her water during the 42- kilometer marathon run, while officials from all other countries were providing refreshments to their runners at designated points, which is after every 2.5 km.
"There was no one from India and our desks were empty next to the country's name and flag," Jaisha told TOI.
"I don't know how I managed to finish without getting enough water to drink. The organizers provided water and sponge only at 8-km intervals. The water from these stations lasted hardly 500m and it was almost impossible to run after the 30-km mark under the scorching sun," she told the newspaper.
After winning six medals at the 2012 London Olympics, the Indian contingent has returned home with only two medals from Rio.
Jaisha, who finished the race in 2 hours, 47.19s, told TOI that she had collapsed after the race.
"They injected seven bottles of glucose to help me recover. I didn't see any doctor from our contingent while help came from fellow marathon runner Gopi T and coach Radhakrishnan Nair," she said.
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