LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Fears of training disruption due to COVID-19 pandemic are feared leading to sub-par performances at Tokyo Games as many athletes come out of stronger locks than ever, said five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky.
Like many athletes, the 23-year training regime for the Games was spent when pools had to be closed to control the spread of the virus that has killed the lives of more than half a million Americans. As a result of the pandemic, the Olympics were delayed for a year.
The ingenious American first trained in a backyard swimming pool and lifted weights in her building in the Bay Area but is now back to her usual training routine and is “in good place. ”
She is not alone.
Recent results from collegiate and international competitions have shown that there has been no decline in the performance of its competitors.
“I don’t think it will be much weaker, if at all,” Ledecky told Reuters when asked about the level of competition she expected to have in Tokyo.
“Times are as fast as they’ve ever been. I think he is in control of everyone.
“And there may be some surprises in some of these results. Maybe the rest was good for some. ”
Swimmer Michael Phelps, another Maryland man who first met Ledecky when she received an autograph from him when she was six, said he did not expect any world records to fall in Tokyo because of the difficulties training.
But Ledecky wasn’t so sure.
“I wouldn’t apply, but there’s been a lot of fast swimming at the moment,” she said.
“I think you’ll see a couple (world records). That potential certainly exists. ”
REFUGEE COUNCIL
As well as swimming, Ledecky is passionate about shedding light on social justice issues affecting the plight of the 80 million refugees worldwide.
The Tokyo Olympics will feature a refugee team for the second Summer Games in a row and this is the biggest ever.
Ledecky said she plans to appeal on behalf of these athletes and anyone who has been displaced by war or persecution through a partnership with the Jesuit Refugee Service and the United Nations.
“They are facing the worst of the worst, and we need to support them,” she said.
“It’s something I hope can draw more attention to moving forward. ”
Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, edited by Pritha Sarkar