Last week, many athletes across the globe were hit with the disappointing news that the Tokyo Olympics, due to be staged later this year, were to be postponed.
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the IOC announced that Games needed to be delayed until the summer of 2021 over major safety concerns for all involved.
Athletes and national Olympic committees had been campaigning for Tokyo 2020 to be postponed and the news which broke last Tuesday, although devastating, will be welcomed by the majority as the right decision.
“The Only Decision Left”
To learn more about the impact on an athlete of the Games being postponed, Rising East exclusively spoke to Team GB racewalker, Tom Bosworth.
The 30-year-old believes the IOC took “the only decision left” by delaying the Games which ‘prevents peoples’ safety from being put at risk’.
He told the site: “Yes, it was the only decision left. The Olympics are something to be celebrated by athletes, fans and the host city – it shouldn’t be decided on a whim.
“Now, we all have time to move through this difficult period without putting anyone’s safety at risk.”
Altering Tokyo Preparations
The Games appeared to be arriving at just the right moment for Bosworth with the Team GB athlete having made a fantastic start to the year.
Back in February, he managed to break the 5,000m British record in the National Indoor Championships and a week later broke the 10km record.
Things were looking promising for the racewalker who was dreaming of adding to his 2018 Commonwealth silver medal and improving upon his sixth-place finish in the Rio Games.
He revealed that his training plans will now be altered and will be adjusted when the schedule to restart racing is announced.
“It seemed I had timed everything perfectly.
“Two British records in the space of a week at the start of March set me up for my first road 20km’s of the season; it now is all stopped.
“We are just ticking over day by day, waiting for the go-ahead to start racing again. When that will be no one knows.
“I’m mentally preparing to hit full-throttle again come the autumn as we build into another winter block of work.
Olympic Ambitions
Now, with the Games set to take place in 2021, he will be looking to readjust his ambitions for Tokyo next year.
“I was ready to go in a few months time.
“So for me, it is all about holding off and keeping the momentum going for 15 months rather than 4 months.
“I guess I’ll have some easy time now before hopefully having a mini racing season in the summer and then resetting (my ambitions) for the new Olympic year.”
London Heartbreak
Bosworth’s career is a truly inspirational tale which saw him become Team GB’s first openly gay athlete, to overcoming battles with mental health, to claiming a world record and a global medal.
During the 2017 World Athletics Championships staged here in east London, he was dealt the major blow of being disqualified whilst in the lead group of the 20km racewalk.
The following year he claimed an incredible silver at Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
But, as he has revealed in earlier interviews, the disappointment from London left scares on him which he didn’t realise for a long time.
“At the Commonwealth Games, I just used it as redemption, it was the first major championships after the London Worlds.
“It wasn’t until after that, that I realised how unhappy I was.
“I realised that no sporting moment would make up for the pain I felt and how miserable I was.”
Bouncing Back
In the following years, he faced a really tough battle with his mental health.
However, with aid from his family and fiancé, Harry, he sought help and is delighted to now be out the other side in a better place and spend time with his family.
“Now after all the emotion of the last few years, this time with the postponement of the Olympics will allow me to have much needed time at home with the ones I love.”
Following these battles, Bosworth astonishingly bounced back and despite further setbacks due to an injury-plagued season, he went on to claim seventh place at the 2019 World Championships.
“I feel like everything had come to a head at the World Championships in Doha in 2019.
“With two years of mental health issues finally coming to an end, a year of back injuries led me to doubt if I could perform.
“So 7th place in Doha was beyond my dreams!
“I knew then I had put the worst behind me and I could come through anything. Probably why I hit such good form this winter and springtime.”
“Tokyo Tower_2” by hans-johnson is licensed under CC BY-ND
