"Winning a bronze medal in continental games was nothing less than winning a gold" - Jinson Johnson on Asian Games performance

India’s bronze medalist in the men’s 1500m at the just concluded 19th Asian Games, Jinson Johnson, was candid in saying he was satisfied with his performance at the competition.

“Considering I've had to cope up with consistent Achilles injury for over two long years, winning a bronze medal in continental games was nothing less than winning a gold,” the 32-year-old army runner told Sportskeeda.

Johnson also won silver in the 800m in 2018 Asian Games. Since he wasn’t as fit as he was five years ago, he wasn’t able to make an attempt to add the two-lap event to his qualification schedule and compete in two races at the delayed Asian Games in Hangzhou.

On his comeback trail, Kerala’s international runner said he couldn’t have done better in Hangzhou as he is still nursing Achilles pain.

“I will take a break for a month to give a deserved rest to my sore legs and Achilles,” he added. “I’m not competing at the National Games in Goa but will spend some time with my family.”

Achilles pain started troubling Johnson in November 2019 when he was training in Colorado Springs in the USA. He returned to India for rehabilitation, but the niggle hampered his preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

He also got COVID-19, which hampered his training. He wasn’t able to achieve his goal to compete in two successive Olympic Games.

Despite the odds, Johnson hasn’t lost hope of competing at the Paris Olympic Games. The challenging qualification standard for the men's 1500m event is 3:33.50.

“I’ve fully recovered. But mild pain in Achilles still restricts my practice,” Johnson said.

The athletes should be able to achieve qualification time between July 1, 2023 to June 20, 2024. The athletes can also qualify for the Paris Olympic Games through the world ranking system.