Covid worries nearly stopped Schauffele

OLYMPIC champion Xander Schauffele has revealed that he considered not contesting the Games in Tokyo due to coronavirus restrictions.

Schauffele held off Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini to win gold on Sunday by a single shot.

“There was part of me that was contemplating not going,” said Schauffele, left, ahead of the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis.

“I joked with my wife about that when I called her [after winning]. She was like, ‘Can you imagine there’s a little piece of you that almost didn’t show up to Tokyo?’ We had a nice laugh about that.

“With everything playing out there with Covid and everything, it’s been difficult for everyone. I decided not to stay in the Olympic Village.

“Being able to take the podium afterwards made me understand how special it actually is being there. The flag’s being raised, playing your national anthem. It was spectacular.”

Schauffele was able to show his maternal grandparents, who live in Tokyo, his gold medal before returning to the United States, where his father Stefan – who was an Olympic hopeful in the decathlon before losing his sight in one eye in a car accident – is likely to lay claim to it.

“My dad slept with it the first night, so I didn’t even have it with me the day I won it,” Schauffele said. “He was going to take it to San Diego and parade it around with his friends, but I told him that I had a little media to do and I’m sure everyone wanted to see the gold medal here.

“It was my moment in the sun with it.

“I don’t know where I will keep it. We haven’t decided that but when I get back I probably won’t have it for some time because I know my dad really wants to have it.”