Reid not ready to wave Games goodbye

A former New Zealand swimming great who missed out on competing at the Moscow Olympics has urged Taranaki swimmer Zac Reid not to give up if the Tokyo Olympics are cancelled.

Reid said he would be ‘‘devastated’’ if the Tokyo event, which had already been postponed by a year because of Covid-19, was called off because of the virus.

The 20-year-old, who qualified for the NZ Olympic team in the 800m freestyle, is swimming 50-60 kilometres a week preparing for the July event, despite continued uncertainty about whether it will happen or not.

Senior health officials have called for the team to be withdrawn, and Tokyo, along with other parts of the country, is currently in its third lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Even if the Olympics do go ahead it will be without international spectators and athletes will be flying out of the country 48 hours after they finish competing.

‘‘I’ll be devastated if it is called off,’’ Reid said. ‘‘It’s what I have been targeting for years. I would feel all the training has been for nothing.

‘‘But it doesn’t cross my mind while I’m training, and I will be surprised if it is cancelled.’’

If the Games were cancelled, there were world long and short course championships and the Commonwealth Games in the next two years, he said.

New Zealand swimming great Monique Williams, nee Rodahl, urged Reid not to even think about giving up if the Games were called off.

Williams had her own career disrupted when she was selected for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, only for New Zealand to boycott the event in protest at Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

After that, Williams decided to finish with swimming. ‘‘I threw my toys out of the cot. It was my biggest regret.’’

Williams, 60, now a swimming coach in North Shore, competed in the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, and 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

She made a comeback, aged 30, at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland when she was selected for the swim squad with Reid’s father, Byron.

‘‘It’s a real thrill to see Zac come on after knowing Byron,’’ she said.

The Olympic Games would be a unique experience for Reid in spite of the lack of spectators, she said.

‘‘It was an amazing experience but a steep learning curve.’’

PHOTO: SIMON O’CONNOR Taranaki swimmer Zac Reid is convinced he will have his chance to compete for gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite doubts over the Games going ahead, the 20-year-old freestyler is busy training for his big moment. ‘‘I’m super looking forward to it.’’ he said.

SIMON O’CONNOR Monique Williams, inset, has told Zac Reid not to give up on his Olympic dreams.