Tokyo 2020 Olympic delay dashes dreams and raises hopes

On Friday, the eyes of the world should have been turning toward Tokyo, and the opening ceremony of the 32nd Summer Olympic Games.

But because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, spectators and viewers worldwide must wait another 12 months for the greatest sporting show on earth.

For athletes who have spent years building up to this pinnacle of excellence, however, a one-year delay is more serious. For some, it means the end of an Olympic dream — but for others, 12 more months could mean that next summer they find themselves wearing medals they would otherwise not have won.

One person whose dream has been ended is British rower Anastasia Posner, who used to be known as Anastasia Chitty. The 26-year-old has already taken four years out from medical studies at Oxford University to win a place in Tokyo, so another year was too much to ask.

"I joined the Great Britain training program in September 2016, after four years of medical training, and since then I've been training six days a week, from 7.30am to 3.30pm," she said.

Having the brakes slammed on so much physical and mental work could be devastating, but Posner said she was handling it well.

"I've spent the best part of a decade getting my body to be as physically impressive as it could be and now it feels like it's fizzling away without being tested," she said. "but I was always careful not to make the Olympics some sort of holy grail. It shouldn't fundamentally change my identity. Being successful doesn't make you a better person.

"On the plus side, I'm a lot less tired now. I still row for enjoyment, and I've taken up kayaking. It's great to have new skills to work on."

The workload of medicine is another welcome distraction. "I don't have time to reflect, and I'm excited about being a doctor, but when the Olympics should have started, it will feel odd, and next year when they do happen, it'll be even harder," she said.

"Coming back for a future Olympics is an option. I'm young enough but medicine is a sequential career and I'm behind the curve already, and I might want a family. I'm lucky — if I return it's because I want to, if I don't, I can reflect on the four years I was part of it."

At 34, Tom Ransley's Tokyo ambitions are also over. He decided to quit, but can look back on winning medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

"I started my journey to Tokyo with every intention of defending that Rio gold, so diverging from that has been tough but my body has suffered a lot of wear. Quitting was the right call," he said.

In 11 years in the national rowing squad, Ransley has always been goal-motivated. "When you first join, every step is an achievement — your first national team vest, your first training session with the seniors, it's all progress," he said. "A third Olympics would have been more than I could dream of, but it's just not sustainable."

Also, after so much success, life's other options are increasingly attractive. "I've had enough of my career taking its toll on loved ones, and missing people's weddings — I love rowing, but I want other experiences," he said.

Having quit in April, Ransley said the universal life-change of lockdown had put things in perspective. "Everyone around me is going through this strangeness, so it's delayed me thinking about my own small concerns," he said.

And while there will be no third medal, his Tokyo journey may not be over yet. "I got so close to going, I'd love to be there next year as a journalist, or a corporate host," he said. "Even if I can't compete, I'd love to see this Olympiad through, and draw a line under it."

Athlete Adelle Tracey has already had a taste of the Olympics, as one of the cauldron lighters at the London 2012 opening ceremony.

A 27-year-old 800 meter runner, she trains at the Endurance Performance Centre at St Mary's University in West London, a venue famed for its athletics facilities, which was also the Chinese Olympic team's London 2012 training base.

She said the delay was helpful. "The qualifying time for my event is about 1:59.5, and I've managed 1:59.8, so it's within my grasp," she said.

"I'd planned to go to America to try and reach that time before qualifying at the British championships, but of course that hasn't happened so it's now about becoming stronger for 2021.

"I should go into the new year in the world top 20 so rather than disrupting my preparations, it's given me more time to work at St Mary's."

Another St Mary's graduate and EPC alumnus, 29-year-old marathon runner Charlotte Purdue, is using the memory of previous disrupted seasons as motivation.

"In 2018, I trained for the London Marathon but had to drop out with a leg injury, and at the European Championships I pulled up with a virus, then 2019 ended up my best year. I'm hoping something similar will happen for 2021," she said.

"In 2019, I met the Tokyo qualifying standard, but British Athletics want to have their own qualifying event at next year's trials in April. I know I can do it, I just have to be ready for them.

"I'll keep training at St Mary's but there's no point pushing myself for races that aren't happening. No-one knows what's going on, but it could be worse. Think about swimmers, who haven't been in the pool for months. At least I can run anywhere."