Australia’s winners and losers from the 12-month delay to Tokyo Olympics
From basketball star Ben Simmons, to tennis queen Ash Barty, the 12-month delay of the Tokyo Olympics has impacted every Aussie athlete. Jon Ralph looks at who has been helped and who has been hindered by the postponement.
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The 12-month delay that turned the Olympic preparation of Australia’s athletes upside down has been a blessing and a curse.
Some athletes who had the July 2020 Olympics pencilled in as an end-date in their careers have found an extra year of training grind a huge challenge, especially given the COVID restrictions.
But others will put a foot on the start line — COVID-willing — aware if it wasn’t for the delay they would never have got to Tokyo.
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WINNERS
Ben Simmons (basketball)
Simmons’ nerve impingement in his back was so severe in February that he was vomiting in pain after it flared up in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Simmons is back preparing for the restart to the NBA season but there would have been significant doubts about his ability to compete in Tokyo off a short preparation even if the NBA season hadn’t overlapped with the Olympics.
As it is, the 2020-21 NBA season finishes in June next year so the hope is Simmons will be in Tokyo but it is still not certain.
Chloe Esposito (modern pentathlon)
Esposito helped resuscitate Australia’s fairly miserable Rio campaign with gold and was expected to peak in Tokyo.
Then she and her husband announced her surprise pregnancy in January.
Now with her bub due in August she is eyeing Tokyo with relish again, saying recently, “I’ll have the baby, see how we go but it’s definitely got my mind ticking over now”.
Jess Trengove (marathon)
Commonwealth Games champion Trengove isn’t deluding herself about the challenge of making it to Tokyo in 2021.
She will give birth in November then have only six months to run a qualifying time for the marathon.
Not only does she have to get race-fit, she needs to qualify ahead of three other Australian rivals posting hot times.
“It‘s a pretty tight window and certainly I’m well aware that it would be a huge feat to run a qualifying time,“ she said recently.
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LOSERS
Ash Barty (tennis)
Barty has such an incredible sense of new-found equilibrium that she takes setbacks and roadblocks in her stride.
But women’s tennis is a sport where you must cash in on your dominance until others battling with form and injury roar back to challenge your spot on the throne.
Barty did that as the 2019 French Open champion and 2020 Australian Open semi-finalist, her sunny disposition and slashing all-court game combining with lethal effect.
At 24, she is yet to peak, but rivals will be looking at ways to dethrone her 12 months on in Tokyo she her only answer must be to hold that peerless form.
Andrew Bogut (basketball)
Three-time Olympian Bogut turns 36 in November, having declined a contract offer with the Sydney Kings and with his basketball future uncertain is aware he might not make Tokyo.
“It‘s a coin flip at the moment. There’s a lot of crazy going on in the world right now,” Bogut said recently.
Few men’s basketballers have been as talismanic as Bogut but he admits the lack of competition might make it hard for him to suit up for a fourth time in Olympic colours. Still, don’t count him out given his court savvy and timeless play.
Kelsey-Lee Barber (javelin)
The 28-year-old javelin thrower would have gone into Tokyo as a hot medal prospect having won the 2019 World Championships in Doha with a throw of 66.56m.
No one will count her out given that win and a silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games but the challenge will be to keep that formline at the current soaring highs for another 12 months.
Still, she has improved her personal best throws year-on-year since 2017 so she will turn it into a positive that can win her Olympic gold.
