After Three Surgeries & Health Issues, Lifter Raja Ready for Int'l Return

Six Years of Hell Experience

- FIROZ MIRZA @Chennai

After six years, three surgeries and battling recurring health problems, Tamil Nadu weight-lifter M Raja is set to make his international comeback in the Commonwealth Senior, Junior and Youth Championships slated from August 24 to 30 in Ahmedabad. Incidentally, the 2019 Commonwealth Championships held in Apia, Samoa was his last international tournament. An elbow injury sustained during the tournament led to Raja's long exile from the international events.

"It's pure coincidence that I am making my international comeback with the Commonwealth Championships," an elated Raja told this daily from Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, where he is training under head coach Vijay Sharma with other India lifters.

Then 19, Raja tore a ligament in his right elbow while lifting 123kg in the snatch section during the championships. Ignoring the pain, he tried lifting weights in the clean and jerk section but failed. "I came back and consulted experts in Mumbai and underwent surgery within two days in July. I rehabilitated for six months and was training at NIS Patiala when the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed. Before that, I used to visit my physio in Delhi regularly, but that was stopped due to the lockdown. I started training, but the range of movement in my left elbow remained restricted. Almost one year and three months had passed by then, so I requested head coach Vijay sir to let me go to Chennai to continue my treatment," said Raja.