NZ Olympians backed for 2021
Kiwi middle-distance running veteran Nick Willis is not giving up on his dream of bringing the curtain down on his storied career at the Tokyo Olympics, even if it means he will have to go one more lap of the track jostling elbow to elbow with Father Time.
Willis would have been 37 at the Tokyo Games had they gone ahead this year as scheduled, and had he completed qualification requirements. Now, with the decision to postpone the event until 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, he will be 38. He admits that at this stage of his career it will present its challenges.
But it’s a race against time he says he’s up for, even though he maintains it’s too early to reset his goals directly. There will be time for that once he has hunkered down and come through New Zealand’s lockdown for the next month, or however long it takes.
The two-time Olympic 1500 metres medallist, speaking to Stuff from Lake Hawea, near Wanaka, where he and his family (wife Sierra and children Lachlan and Darcy) are spending the mandatory period of isolation, was taking news of the Games postponement in his stride, joking about his ongoing battle with Father Time.
‘‘I like to give him a good battle . . he’s become my favourite foe it seems of late,’’ he said.
‘‘In my heart it was inevitable probably a month ago,’’ he said of the widely predicted Games postponement. ‘‘Even before that you thought the likelihood of it happening had to be less than 50-50. At least now we have more on Father Time
clarity. I’m a little surprised they’ve said 2021, as opposed to 2022, because who knows if this is all going to be settled down by then.’’
Willis conceded the year’s postponement was more manageable for him than two years might have been as he shoots for his fifth Olympic appearance.
‘‘It keeps the window potentially open for me,’’ he said. ‘‘Just the fact I’ve still been enjoying my running the last three weeks, even with the knowledge [the Olympics] wasn’t going to take place, has put me in good stead to continue to get outside, lace up the shoes and get some exercise every day. Doing the simple thing of putting one foot in front of the other seems to be helping me eliminate a lot of the stresses of being cooped up.’’
For Willis the Olympics in Tokyo presented as a perfect finish-line of a career that has been punctuated by his silver medal at the Beijing Games in 2008 and his remarkable bronze in Rio four years ago. That hasn’t changed.
‘‘Though there have been times
New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith has moved to reassure athletes who had already qualified for a postponed Tokyo Olympics.
Smith stopped short of guaranteeing those New Zealand athletes a place at the rescheduled games as their training abruptly halted amid the coronavirus pandemic, but offered enough comfort for those who had already reached the required standards.
‘‘We’ve got to work through what’s the status of selected athletes, and the status of qualifying events relative to a moved Games,’’ Smith told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘We think the athletes that have qualified and been selected have done their bit, and we would hope we’d be in a position to continue that process on. But we need to take stock and understand what the lie of the land is.’’
Smith’s Australian Olympic Committee counterpart, Matt Carroll, said their athletes would not need to re-qualify for the rescheduled event which is now at least one year away. ‘‘That will give
I wanted just to pull the plug and say ‘I don’t need to keep doing this, why am I putting myself through these battles? I wanted to set a goal, a target, and finish the race I started.
‘‘Putting Tokyo as the goal and definite finishing line, there was a feeling of satisfaction and completion. I feel like I’ve done everything within my power to achieve that. I haven’t given up, and I think had they not been postponed I’m confident I’d placed myself high enough in the world rankings to athletes some comfort but we await further details in the coming weeks,’’ Carroll said.
Smith expects the first postponed Olympics in its 124-year history to be rescheduled for between late April and August 2021, with a decision to be made within a month.
IOC president Thomas Bach and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed yesterday they could not stage the Olympics as scheduled from July 24.
It became clear in the past week a postponement was the most likely option, after Australia advised its athletes to prepare for a 2021 Games and Canada said it would boycott this year if it went
earn selection.
‘‘I take a lot of satisfaction from that. Whether I can run in the Games or not, that was a secondary thing to completing my side of the equation.’’
Willis says it is hard to be definitive about his ability to hang in for another year. But he knows he is keen to give it a decent nudge.
‘‘I don’t want to go down that path yet in my mind. It’s more getting through the next month, the next couple of months. But I’m in better shape this year than last.
‘‘He’s become my favourite foe of late.’’ Nick Willis
ahead as scheduled.
Smith said the NZOC did not threaten a boycott but made clear to the IOC on Tuesday the widespread concern of its athletes.
The NZOC’s priority now is to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of its athletes as the country goes into lockdown, before the rescheduled Olympic dates are confirmed.
High Performance Sport NZ would move quickly to adjust funding arrangements to reassure athletes of continued support, Smith said.
‘‘It’s been financially, and in terms of their mental and physical wellbeing, a very tough time so we certainly feel for them.’’
Asked about decorated Olympians Dame Valerie Adams, Nick Willis and Mahe Drysdale who are near the end of their glittering careers, and will now need to refocus for next year, Smith said: ‘‘It’s a very difficult thing if you’re peaking for this July-August window and then you have to do it again.
‘‘One thing about our Olympians is they are incredibly resilient and I’m sure if the will is there, they will keep on going.’’
The Olympics have given me an extra lease on life, and I’m still able to get pretty good training in down here a without seeing anybody.
‘‘I’ll take it step by step and will make that decision eventually. But I’m also excited to start exploring my options beyond just being a professional runner.
‘‘I will continue running several more years yet but whether that’s in a fulltime capacity or in addition to other pursuits, that’s the bigger question.’’