Western Morning News (Saturday)
Olympic life still special despite Covid precautions
PLYMOUTH sprint hurdler David King has landed in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics but faces limits on his movement due to the latest Covid restrictions.
The opening ceremony for the delayed games took place yesterday but the 27-yearold athlete competes for Great Britain on August 3 in his first Olympic 110-meter sprint hurdle race.
King has been ‘dreaming’ and ‘training’ for this moment for years and, even though it has become his reality, he is not allowed out of his hotel apartment.
Japan has gone into a ‘state of emergency’ after an increase of Covid-19 cases days before the Olympics got under way and to ensure athletes’ safety they are restricted to their hotel and the track.
“The Covid protocols are crazy strict here, rightfully so,” said King. “I feel safe to be here and I can see Japan out of my window. There are lots of people around and everyone seems to be living their normal lives.”
“For us, we are allowed in the hotel, at the track and that’s it. If we want to leave the hotel there are only certain times and we must go on a supervised walk. I think it is about 100 meters there and back.
“It’s not like a normal Olympics from what I hear, but it’s not been a normal two years. I am just happy it’s going ahead.”
King has been running different sporting events at the City of Plymouth Athletics Club like sprinting and jumping and over the years he singled out what he was best at.
It came down to hurdles and jumps and now he is competing in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 representing the UK for the first time.
Not only has David trained for this moment but his mum Julie King, herself an ex-athlete, is his biggest supporter and he says she is “over the moon” that he is in the Olympics after he tried out for the Team GB squad in 2016.
“I have been building up for it for a few years and I only just missed the 2016 Olympics but at that time I didn’t really feel ready or really minded I missed out because I was building up for this one,” said King.
“It’s great to be able to achieve the goal that I’ve been training for so long.”
In 2020, after the Olympics was postponed, the Plymouth star set up a Go Fund Me to help him raise enough money to train in Phoenix, Arizona, to help him stay in shape for this year. He was humbled when he raised £3,500 from local people in Plymouth and wants to say a ‘massive thank you.’
This is the first time David has been to Japan, and he was welcomed by sunshine and 32-degree temperatures, and nice hotel views, but the restrictions mean he can’t eat the cultural foods he wants to try.
David said: “I really want to try some good Japanese food. The hotel just caters for the Brits, so I’ve not had any of that yet.
“I’m hoping at the Olympic village I will be able to get some food, or I will see if I can order something because I’m a big foodie.”
It’s great to be able to achieve the goal that I’ve been training for so long DAVID KING