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World Cancer Day: 5 athletes who beat cancer to return to the sporting arena

On World Cancer Day 2017, we take a look at the heart-warming journey of 5 athletes who survived cancer to return to the sport they love.

By :  R Ayyappan
Update: 2017-02-04 08:51 GMT
Yuvraj Singh famously survived cancer six years back, to make a successful return to the playing field. His prolonged career in cricket continues to give a lot of hope to cancer patients. (Photo: PTI)
Yuvraj Singh: The star cricketer was diagnosed with lung cancer during what could be termed as the peak of his career in 2011, just after he won the 2011 World Cup with India. However, his cancer went into remission as he made his comeback in the 2012 ICC world T20, a year later. Yuvraj, who was dropped from the national side for a long time, recently made another comeback in the limited overs series against England, where he scored a century in the ODI series, and played a couple of important knocks in the T20 international games. (Photo: AP)
Lance Armstrong: Lance Armstrong was one of the most inspirational figures in the world of sports. He was diagnosed with a late-stage testicular cancer that had spread to his abdomen at the age of 25 in 1996. The doctors gave him a 40 per cent survival chance. However, Armstrong came back a few months later to win seven consecutive Tour De France titles. However, doping charges later ended his career in disgrace, as he was stripped off his medals. (Photo: AFP)
Eric Abidal: The star French defender was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver in 2011, something that sidelined him for a couple of months. He was back on the pitch a couple of months later however, Barcelona gave him the captain's armband to lead the team out on the pitch in the Champions League final against Manchester United, which the Blaugrana won. Abidal underwent a transplant some time after the final, and went on to play for French and Greek sides AS Monaco and Olympiacos respectively, before hanging up his boots. (Photo: AFP)
Jonas Gutierrez: Argentinean football player Jonas Gutierrez only got to know about his cancer post a regular treatment after he collided with Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna in 2013. Gutierrez made his fight against testicular cancer public a year later, and also went on to make a comeback a couple of months after the announcement. He also went on to score a goal in the final game of the season for the Toon. However, Newcastle released him soon afterwards. (Photo: AFP)
Eric Shanteau: It was heartbreak for American swimmer Eric Shanteau, who was diagnosed with cancer barely weeks ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. While he could not make it to the 200m breaststroke final, Shanteau later came back to clinch a gold medal with the American 4x100m medley relay team. (Photo: AP)
On World Cancer Day 2017, we take a look at the heart-warming journey of 5 athletes who survived cancer to return to the sport they love.

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