A few anxious hours!

The karate team event was on a full swing. An intense battle for the gold medal was going on between Bangladesh and Pakistan. But the team's focus was not there. The karate players, coaches, and members of the management were thinking about the unfortunate incident, which took place a while back.

It happened during the penultimate match for the Bangladesh Karate team. They were fighting against the Sri Lankan team to secure a final spot. Gold medalist and one of the best athletes of the Bangladesh team, Marzan Akhter was fighting her bout against her Sri Lankan opponent.

Suddenly, the Sri Lankan fighter threw an awkward punch, which hit Marzan just below her ear. The referee called foul and was ready to move on with the fight. But, something was not right with Marzan- she felt excruciating pain and could not continue.

The match referee instantly comprehended the severity of the situation and called for medical assistance. When the medic was unable to control the pain Marzan felt, they decided to transfer her to the nearest Blue Cross Hospital.

There was panic in the Bangladesh camp, as no one was certain about the nature of the injury. The ever-present media was quick to pick the news and from Kathmandu, the anxiety reached Dhaka in no time.

The General Secretary of Bangladesh Karate Federation, Kyaw Shwe Hla, got caught up with queries about the gold medalist's latest health updates.

However, the panic and the anxiety were all gone when the news of her initial diagnosis came out. The medical officer-in-charge of the Blue Cross Hospital, Dr Prajwal Man Shreshtha, told the media that there was nothing to worry about. They called for their senior neurosurgeon, to assess the situation.

After a while, the Bangladesh contingent sighed a breath of relief, when the Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon, Dr Abhishek Chaturvedi assessed the situation. The ace physician assured the Bangladesh team about Marzan's health.

He said that the patient is in good health and they will consider releasing her from the hospital after a couple of hours of cautionary observation. Scan result came out good and there were no probabilities of further injuries.

Meanwhile, Marzan's absence meant the team played for the gold medal match without one of their bests. Bangladesh Women's Kumite team comprising of Mounjera Borna, Humaira Akther, and Naima Khatun lost their final bout to Pakistan and earned a silver medal.

Marzan Akhter already won a gold medal on Monday in the individual Kumite -55 category. An added silver medal from the team event will surely remind her of the defeat in the final match. But more than that, it surely will remind her of the few horrific hours she experienced.