Indian men's hockey team defender Surender Kumar said it was mentally challenging to go through the recovery phase after being infected with COVID-19 but he has fully recovered now and is aiming to return to full fitness as soon as possible.
Surender was among six hockey players, including skipper Manpreet Singh, who had tested positive for the deadly virus upon their return to the national camp in Bengaluru in August after a month's break.
"I would often tell myself that so many people around the globe have battled this virus including top sports people and have come out of it. It was a difficult phase," he said.
"The coaching staff ensured we were in a good space mentally for that entire period of 2-3 weeks where we were in the hospital followed by mandatory isolation," said the defender from Karnal, who played in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Unlike his other compatriots, who had tested positive and recovered, Surender had developed venous thrombosis, a condition of blood clots in his arm and one of the many complications related to COVID-19 recovery phase.
After completely recovering from the virus, Surender returned to the pitch in mid-September and is now determined to regain his full fitness at the earliest.
"I am happy to be back to regular schedule with the rest of the core group. Initially, chief coach (Graham Reid) would emphasis on taking it slow and not exerting too much even though we would feel no discomfort in pushing ourselves.
"It's now been over 3 weeks since I have returned to training. I am feeling good and aiming to hit top fitness levels," he said in a Hockey India release.
He thanked Hockey India for taking care of him during this phase.
"I am grateful to Hockey India and SAI for ensuring my recovery is closely monitored. I get my routine check-ups done regularly. We also have a doctor on campus who I can consult in case of any discomfort," he said.
