India, Oct. 21 -- Cardiologist Dr Pankaj Bajpai, Associate Director of Clinical and Preventive Cardiology, Paediatric Cardiology, and Cardiac Care at Medanta, Gurugram, set out four checks for parents to consider when a child reports a racing heart during sports, according to an HT Lifestyle report updated on Oct. 8, 2026, by Debapriya Bhattacharya.
Dr Bajpai said that while parents may be alarmed when children clutch their hearts after a sprint or complain their hearts are beating too fast, “in my experience, most such episodes are harmless.” He added that there are “specific things parents should check” before deciding whether a doctor’s attention is needed.
How the racing heart starts
Dr Bajpai said parents should note whether the hea...