OBLYMAPICNS won’t affect locals
Averill Park’s Winkler, Duanesburg’s White react to latest edict
Averill Park hammer thrower Rudy Winkler will have to compete in front of empty stands at the Tokyo Olympics next month. Duanesburg cyclist Emma White could find herself in the same situation.
Neither athlete expressed much concern a lack of fans will hurt their medal chances at the Summer Games. Japanese authorities announced Thursday spectators won’t be allowed at the Tokyo venues following the latest declaration of a state of emergency because of a rise in COVID -19 cases.
Although the Games were already closed to fans traveling from abroad, Tokyo was poised to admit local fans at 50 percent capacity up to 10,000 fans until Thursday’s development.
“If anything, it will be a positive,” Winkler said. “Like in the U.S., we don’t really draw crowds in my event so I’m kind of used to competing with no one around. A lot of the Europeans, they’ve been competing without anyone around because of COVID, too, so they’re probably used to it by now. I don’t think
it’ll have a major effect on the competition in the end.”
Winkler is coming off setting an American record at the U.S. Olympic qualifier in Eugene, Ore., last month. He’ll compete in the hammer throw on Aug. 2 at National Stadium in Tokyo.
White is competing in team pursuit in cycling on Aug. 2 and 3 at the Izu Velodrome in Izu City, about 80 miles outside of Tokyo. There is a chance fans could be allowed at venues outside of Tokyo that are not under a state of emergency, according to Japanese authorities.
“There are a lot of things different about this year’s Olympic Games but every country is in the same boat so I don’t think it should affect our performance,” texted White, also a Union College graduate. “I guess it’ll just be about how we motivate ourselves and I’m confident our whole team has a lot to be motivated by! We will still imagine the screaming fans that we are used to.”
White is making her Olympic debut. The United States won a silver medal in team pursuit in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Winkler competed in front of fans at the Summer Games in Brazil five years ago, though he didn’t experience the energy of a packed stadium.
“I didn’t make it out of the qualification (round) in Rio, but the qualification was at 9 a.m. and it was completely dead,” he said. “There were pockets of a few people here and there. It will definitely be a similar feeling to what Rio was in Tokyo.”
Winkler acknowledged some athletes could be more affected by a quiet venue than others.
“I think for some people it will,” Winkler said. “I don’t know if it will affect me. Usually, when you’re in a stadium, the combo of being in the middle of the stadium as well as it being a ton of people there gives it a completely different feeling. It’s a hard thing to adjust to for a lot of people. So I think for some people, it will be a lot easier, especially for people if it’s their first time going to a stadium like that. For the veterans, I’m not sure how it will affect them because they’re probably expecting a stadium with a ton of people in it and it’s going to be kind of dead. It’s tough to say.”
Besides Winkler and White, Ravena High and Union College graduate Nina Cutro-kelly was named to the U.S. Olympic judo team this week and Siena alumnus J.C. Obregon will represent Honduras in men’s soccer.