In early October last year, Kishore Jena felt he had erred by going under the knife. A painful bone growth at the left ankle required surgery, but post-operation, as expected, he found it extremely difficult to walk. A silver medallist at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, leading Neeraj Chopra at one point with an 87-plus metre throw, Jena’s mind was wracked with doubt. “The first few days after surgery (in Mumbai) I felt like I had made a mistake. I couldn’t walk properly, I had to just sit down. I thought, ‘how will I ever throw again?’ But the physio and coach supported me, and the recovery began. Now, I am feeling better,” Jena recalled. One comforting message was from Chopra. “When you are down, not many people stand by you,” Jena said when asked about those who kept in touch. “Neeraj bhai messaged saying ‘everything will be fine’ after I had posted about the surgery.” Story continues below this ad Six months after the ankle surgery, Jena made a return at the Indian Open …