Tokyo: isolation and the absence of family and friends have taken victims on the mental health of athletes at the Tokyo Olympics, with some struggling to overcome the challenges caused by pandemics while carrying hope at their global sports phase.
After the amazing out of the women’s gymnastics team on Tuesday, Simone Biles said he felt he had brought the burden on the world on his shoulders.
The burden seems to have been exacerbated by one year of sadness, loss and restrictions related to Covid-19 pandemics.
“Usually you hang out in the village, all of that,” Biles said.
“It sucks when you feel the burden of the world.
There is no outlet with the amount of training we do.” Athletes have seen their pre-Olympic training disrupted by locking and limited access to athletic facilities, and the delay of the game triggered the problem of the qualification schedule and the ability to travel internationally without signing a virus.
Their families and friends cannot entertain them in the stands in Tokyo and their movements are very limited.
Pandemic encourages the US gymnastics team to avoid the hustle and bustle of athletes and stay at the nearest hotel for security reasons, something that takes an insult from the Olympic experience.
“Not saying that we don’t have a great arrangement,” Biles said.
“We chose it to be a covid safe, protocol and everything.” Biles say he can stay in touch with family with facetime and text messages, give him “all the support I really need.” “We have many resources available to us,” Biles added.
“But I want to try hard until the last minute, but obviously it doesn’t work like that.” U.S.
Katie Ledecky’s swimmer, who also came to the match with high hopes, said she understood the pressure of Biles was felt as an Olympic stature.
He said his compatriot must be more worried about what happened in the world than whether he won the Olympic title.
“Being an Olympics is something we all have to be careful and help each other and when needed,” Ledecky said after winning gold in the first swimming event 1,500 meters for women who have been staged at the Olympics.
‘Difficult roads’ even before arriving in Tokyo, athletes face new and foreign pressures related to pandemics.
They must find a way to practice during locking and qualify for the largest sporting event in the world without sacrificing their health or family and their community.
“It has become a difficult road since 2019,” said Gymnastics Angelina Melnikova from the Russian Olympic Committee, which defeated the United States to win gold on a team of women’s team.
“When we found that the game had been postponed because of the pandemic, our training base was closed.
We were in quarantine for half a year and trained all the time.” Another athlete was contracted by Covid-19 on his way to Tokyo, in the game itself or at the initial stage of pandemic, threatening to frustrate their years in a tiring job to the Olympics.
British Symer Tom Dean signs Covid-19 twice in run-up to Tokyo, forcing him to spend days in isolation and delay his training.
Even so, the 21-year-old won the 200 m free style gold on Tuesday to help England as well as possible start the Olympic match.
“I signed Covid twice in the last 12 months,” Dean said.
“Sitting in my flat in isolation, the Olympic gold is a million miles away.” Other Olympics contracted by Covid-19 were not so lucky.
South Korea Saber Fencer Oh Sanguak, who was hospitalized for a month with a virus, faded in his quarter-finals against Georgia Sandro Bazadze, finally lost 15-13.
“I feel my physical strength has weakened, but every time I think about it, I feel my confidence is slipping,” Oh told Reuters ahead of the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Like countless people around the world, Olympians have also lost loved ones to viruses.
Team Mate ‘Biles Sunisa Lee, who won three medals at the 2019 World Championship, lost his aunt and his uncle for a pandemic when he was preparing Tokyo.
“On the podium, people see athletes, others see the engine running and must be the position of one,” Bernard Ouma said, who trained Kenya Runner Timothy Cheruiyot, the world champion 1,500 meters.
“Behind my mind as a coach, I also saw humans with social challenges.