SWIMMER Phee Jinq En got more than she bargained for when she came down with Covid-19 during the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest last month.
Instead of getting herself warmed up for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Jinq En had to spend a week in isolation in her hotel room.
The 24-year-old was reduced to being a spectator when her 50m and 100m breaststroke events took place in Budapest.
Now Jinq En is just thanking her lucky stars for recovering from the illness in time to take to the pool in Birmingham when the swimming competition starts tomorrow.
"I kept reminding myself that there was absolutely no time to slack off for the next two months after the Sea Games," said Jinq En.
"After the outing in Hanoi, I knew I had three weeks to get ready to race again at the world meet and another four weeks to fine tune everything for the Commonwealth Games.
"That was my initial plan. But to my surprise, I caught Covid at the world meet and was out since the first day.
"It was tough for me because physically, I felt terrible. I lost my strength, motivation and training momentum. I had to start all over again.
"It was definitely hard to recover and train at the same time. As a swimmer, we need our lungs for swimming.
"It is not easy when you are coughing non-stop for at least two weeks, and I only had a short amount of time to regain my strength and up my training volume to be race-ready again."
Jinq En, meanwhile, is still feeling optimistic about getting back into action and will be looking to perform her best.
"I just want to race without feeling the pressure because that is when I perform best," said Jinq En.
"But I cannot promise any PBs, although when it is time to race, it will be 100 per cent from me always," added the Selangor-born, who holds the 50m and 100m breaststroke national records.
Jinq En, the only female swimmer in the national squad in Birmingham, will see action in the heats of the 50m event tomorrow.
Besides Jinq En, the other swimmers in the mix are Khiew Hoe Yean, Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal and Bryan Leong.