#was watching the world athletics 2019 javelin final last night

[skinks]

society if female athletes didn’t shave their body hair >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[expatimes]

Deferred dreams: What COVID taught three Olympic athletes

The Tokyo Olympics was arguably the biggest sporting casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, postponed in March in an unprecedented move as a third of the world was plunged into COVID-19-related lockdowns.

More than 11,000 elite athletes from 33 different sports were due to compete in the games – for most the pinnacle of sporting achievement.

A pared-down Olympics is now scheduled to be held for two weeks from July 23, 2021, with some adjustments for the pandemic. The Paralympics will follow.

The Ariake Arena, where the gymnastics competitions will be held, lit up in support of athletes preparing for the delayed Olympic and Paralympic on July 23, 2021

Even as vaccines are finally rolled out, it is still not 100 percent certain the event will even be able to proceed in 2021.

Al Jazeera spoke to three athletes from the Asia Pacific region to find out how they were affected by the postponement.

Kelsey-Lee Barber, Australia

  Kelsey Ann Barber, Australia’s world champion in javelin

Everyone wants to know how she became the javelin women’s world champion.

“It’s the question I get asked the most,” said Kelsey-Lee Barber, laughing, after Al Jazeera put forward the same question.

“Javelin is quite an unusual event,” she admitted. “Especially in a country like Australia where team sports are the focus.”

Born in South Africa, Barber moved to Australia as a child. In high school, she threw the discus but her coach encouraged her to dabble in other field events such as shot put and javelin.

It was when Barber won the javelin event in the 2008 Pacific School Games that she realised it was the sport for her.

“This is the event that’s going to take me to the Olympics,” she recalled thinking. “This is what I want to do with my life.”

Her gut was right – 29-year-old Barber is now not only the world champion, winning gold in Doha in 2019 but also has the 12th-longest javelin throw on record. She threw an incredible 67.70m (222 feet) in Lucerne last year.

Barber is preparing for her second Olympics and has fortunately not been as affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns as other sportspeople have – after all, athletics is predominantly an individual event.

“We had to move off-site at the beginning and we were training in our garages and local parks,” Barber said. “When COVID was announced as a pandemic, we thought would do everything in their power to make it happen.”

Track and field events are due to take place in Tokyo’s National Stadium, which will also host the opening and closing ceremonies

By late March, several countries – including Australia and Canada – had officially withdrawn their teams from the Tokyo games, citing concerns for their health.

“When things started to escalate as rapidly as they did, I think that’s when I started realising that maybe Tokyo wouldn’t go ahead this year,” says Barber.

While disappointed that she did not get to compete this year, Barber says she thinks it was the right thing to do.

“It’s given me a different opportunity this year,” she mused. “I’ve really been able to focus on looking after my body this year, and that’s a huge plus going forward.”

“I’ve potentially put a few extra years onto my career because of the work I’ve been able to do this year.”

“This year has also given me an opportunity to just be me,” Barber added, smiling. “I’ve still put in a lot of training but for the first time in a very long time, athletics hasn’t had to be the number one priority.”

Farah Ann Abdul Hadi, Malaysia

  Farah Ann Abdul Hadi was the first Malaysian woman to qualify to compete in gymnastics at the Olympics

Malaysian gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi was supposed to spend July competing beneath the lofty roof of the 12,000 seat Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo, the first Malaysian woman ever to qualify for the competition.

Instead, the 26-year-old was working on her routines in Malaysia’s National Sports Complex in the southern suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, putting in the hours in the gym and with physiotherapy and sharing regular updates with her 340,000 Instagram followers.

Looking back, Farah says that while she was “a little bit upset” as talk swirled that the Olympics would be cancelled, the delay was perhaps a blessing in disguise, allowing her body time to fully recover after back-to-back competitions in 2019 and multiple injuries throughout her international career.

“I don’t train in pain any more,” she told Al Jazeera on a video call from Bukit Jalil. “Since I’m more of a senior gymnast already – I’m 26 and obviously, my body isn’t like it was when I was 16 any more – it’s quality rather than quantity. To perfect the skills and make sure my body is in good health for 2021.”

Farah took up gymnastics when she was three, attending classes alongside her older sister. “My parents are both sporty and they wanted their children to do sports too,” she said, explaining how she “fell in love” with gymnastics. “I was also a hyperactive child,” she says, smiling.

She began competing for her state when she was six and training with the national squad two years later. Her first international competition was in 2010.

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A post shared by Farah Ann Abdul Hadi (@farahann94)

  Artistic gymnastics is a test of agility, flexibility and strength and has been part of the Summer Games since they were held in Amsterdam in 1928.

Women compete in four disciplines – the uneven bars, beam, vault and floor – in a sport that has long been dominated by the United States, Russia and China. So far, Malaysia has had more success in badminton, diving and cycling.

Farah enjoys the floor the most.

“I love expressing myself and performing for the crowd and it’s also where I can show my strength and my artistry,” she said.

She has a “history” with the beam, she says ruefully of the 10-cm wide (4 inches) and five-metre (16.4-feet) long piece of wooden apparatus, which is 1.25 metres (4.1 feet) off the floor. “I like the beam, but it doesn’t really like me back.”

It was a mistake on the beam that cost the gymnast a spot in the Rio Games by the tiniest of margins. It was, she says, a “devastating” blow.

She secured her space in Tokyo through the qualifiers at the World Championships in Stuttgart in October 2019. Competing early in the morning, Farah endured a nerve-racking wait until late at night before she knew for sure she had qualified. “Tokyo, here we come!” she messaged her family back in Malaysia.

When Farah first started out in the sport she was inspired by Nastia Liukin who emerged an Olympic All-Around Champion – excelling across the four disciplines – in 2008. Now it is Simone Biles, the most decorated female athlete of the Olympics, who took home four gold medals in Rio and entranced a generation of young women.

This year, toymaker Mattel made a one-of-a-kind Barbie of Farah – part of a project to honour inspirational women from around the world.

Farah hopes by competing in Tokyo, she can show Malaysians that nothing is impossible.

“It’s basically having a goal and reaching that dream you have had since you were eight years old – to go out there with the Malaysian flag on your shoulder,” she said. “I’m very proud to be a female gymnast, to be able to represent my country and to show young girls that you can make a career of sport, and that you can be who you want to be.”

Annabelle Smith, Australia

  Olympic diver Annabelle Smith

Australian diver Annabelle Smith was “pretty devastated” when she found out the games had been postponed due to COVID-19.

“When you’ve been working towards something for four years or your entire career – to have it ripped away from you at the last minute was pretty disappointing,” the 27-year-old told Al Jazeera.

Smith has been diving for 15 years and in that time has competed in the London and Rio Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in Rio.

As such, she feels “grateful” to have already had two Olympic experiences and has spent a lot of time resetting goals and talking to her sports psychologist and coach in preparation for Tokyo 2021 and now feels “re-energised”.

She says some of her Olympic teammates have found it more difficult, noting that that “people plan their careers around the Olympic Games”.

Smith also knows some athletes have been forced into retirement because they had different plans for 2021, such as starting a family, while others have “aged out” of their sport or face an increased risk of injury.

Being a Melbourne-based athlete presented additional difficulties during the lockdown – one of the longest and strictest in the world.

“I just had to train in my living room at home,” she said.

However, she is now fortunate to be back in the training facilities, albeit ensuring they remain COVID-19-safe.

“In our gym sessions, we have to clean the equipment thoroughly and really use our initiative to make sure everything is staying safe.”

Mai Yasuda dives from the 10-metre (32-foot) platform during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, which is due to host artistic swimming, diving, and swimming events during the Olympic and Paralympic games

However, with COVID-19 far from over, Annabelle says that while she is training and preparing as if the games are going ahead as scheduled, she will “probably cry” if they are postponed again.

“I think it will really be such a positive thing for the world just to get the Olympic Games under way and for people to be able to watch on TV and celebrate something after going through all these challenges of COVID. I’m just excited for it to unite everybody.”

With reporting by Kate Walton in Canberra, Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur, and Ali MC in Melbourne.

#sport Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=16221&feed_id=25930 #asiapacific #athletics #australia #coronaviruspandemic #features #japan #malaysia #news #olympics #sports

[winstonesportsmedia]

Sri Lankan takes Aussie Hat-rick

When Sri Lanka won the 1996 Cricket World Cup, it became the catalyst for a one-year old Sri Lankan boy to fall in love with the game.

Fast forward 23 years and not only is Fabian V Fernando thriving as a senior cricketer for the Northcote United Cricket Club, he is flying down under in the lifestyle stakes more than ever.

Growing up in Colombo, Sri Lanka in the early 2000s, Fernando always had a love of many sports including soccer, hockey and Athletics- javelin, shot put and discus but cricket was always the game of choice.

Playing with a small bat and ball from a very early age, he developed a passion for the game playing against his cousins in the backyard.

Talking to Fernando on Tuesday night, he described the biggest differences between sport in Sri Lanka compared to Australia.

‘’I think here in Australia sports is way more professional than what is available in Sri Lanka,” he said.

“Australia has been a very calm and chilled place to play cricket. Back home in Sri Lanka it’s a bit too serious and that’s where I see the difference. You can be whoever you want to be here and don’t have to follow a structure or a method.’’

Not only has sport been the major influence on Fernando’s move to Melbourne from Colombo, it has also been the lifestyle.

This is no more evident than the fact he drives 45 minutes to play for Northcote United from Caroline Springs three times a week. Simply that is what the cricket club means to the man who is quietly spoken.

Fernando strives to become a better cricketer both on and off the pitch, day in and day out.

Influencing this drive was his father Paul, who encouraged his son to practice, practice, practice daily, no matter the task at hand.

Whether it be sport, studying or making better decisions in his daily life Paul would be by his side.

Having such an encouraging father growing up meant everything to Fernando. ‘’From childhood he and my mum would take me to cricket training,” he said

“Dad was always into cricket and would talk daily about the game. He would take me and my brother to live games and make us stay right to the end no matter the result.

“He wanted me to play cricket at the highest level and so did I.’’

If there was a modern-day cricket hero, the man to take on that title would be Virat Kohli - the Indian cricket captain.

The batting megastar has been at the top his game for more than five years now and there is no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

This is the cricketer Fernando strives to be like and loves the way Kohli goes about it.

‘’I started to like Kohli because of how much he gives to the game, and how professionally he’s managing his cricket career and the journey that he went through.

“I recently watched a Kohli interview, he was mentioning that he was gaining weight and he was out of the squad for a few months.

“Kohli managed to get back on track and become one of the best cricketers in the world, plus I love his work rate towards his cricket.

“If I can eventually play at a higher level it would be fantastic, if I remain at the current standard of cricket I’m playing I would be content because I know on a personal level I’ve tried my best on a daily basis trying to improve my game.’’

Fernando is a softly spoken and gentle natured person, who is loved and respected by all his peers at Northcote United Cricket Club.

The batting all rounder is a cult hero at the club he calls his second home.

From the moment he walked into the club he went about his business in a professional manner, without wanting much attention.

Though I’ve only briefly met Fernando, you sense that he is a special kind of guy who is self-driven and wants to be the best person he can be on and off the pitch.

With his contagious smile, kindness and humble approach to both life and cricket you feel that here is a young man who will excel in any task he puts his mind to.

To complete Fernando’s hat-trick in Australia, he thanks the Northcote United Cricket Club for welcoming him into such a fantastic club.

At the beginning he was unsure if he would fit in both culturally and socially as there was a huge difference between his home country and Australia.

To Fernando’s credit he overcame his uncertainties and has never looked back on his decision to join the club.

‘’For me playing for this great club has inspired me to get better season upon season. The self belief I have in my coaches, teammates and, most importantly, myself has been the major reason I’ve exceled at cricket.’’

As the 2019/20 cricket season starts to take shape, Fernando will be hoping he can contribute with both bat and ball to help Northcote United go one better as they look to rebound from a disappointing Grand Final loss last season.

Link to video interview here.