Team GB athletes revert to Plan B after 2020 Olympics in Tokyo postponed until 2021

Planning for an uncertain future: Adam Gemili
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At 6.30am today, Alistair Brownlee landed back in the UK, his flight virtually deserted bar brother Jonny in a nearby seat, the airport equally eerily ghost-like.

The pair had been training in a rural area of New Mexico at altitude, preparing to start their season at the World Series event in Bermuda at the end of April, the first stepping stone to Tokyo.

On Monday, the Foreign Office advice switched to call on British nationals to come home and, that combined with yesterday’s postponement of the

Olympics, persuaded the two-time Olympic champion to fly back.

So, what does an athlete who has trained for four years for a specific event do when that is scrapped — albeit for a year — and the rest of the season is, in all likelihood, over?

“Well, it changes very quickly,” he said. “Last week, I was swimming five times a day, but now all pools are closed. Before, I could ride my bike for as long as I wanted each day and run as long as I wanted. What happens is you shift from training to exercising pretty quickly.

“I’ve no idea when we’ll race again, no one can make that call. Two weeks ago, it was fine to be flying out here, but now things change daily, almost hourly. What’s happened up to today is already pretty unimaginable. Who knows what lies ahead in two weeks’ time? You can’t expect anything.

“So, you take your foot off the gas a bit and just stay fit and healthy. But this is nothing compared to people getting ill or having loved ones in hospital.”

Brownlee’s mother, Cathryn, is a GP working around the clock, his father, Keith, a retired chest doctor who may yet be called into action as health services struggle amid the growing crisis. Of their potential roles in the coronavirus fight, he said: “It’s pretty worrying for people on the frontline and their families.”

In contrast, British sprinter Adam Gemili remains training in Florida for now. He only goes out in groups of three, that trio scattered in line with social distancing regulations across an otherwise empty park. Their coach, Rana Reider, stands off in the distance.

The 26-year-old plans to stay fit — “I’m currently in the best shape I’ve ever been” — in the hope races will start on the global calendar before the season ends.

“I’m trying to do hard training as though nothing has happened for the next couple of weeks,” he said. “But it’s strange as we have to keep our distance — we’re not even allowed to joke or congratulate each other.”

As for what is next, Gemili (below) has no idea, having planned to remain in Florida until May before relocating to a German training base.

“There was a lot of outrage among athletes when the IOC initially said they’d let us know in four weeks,” he said. “That didn’t go down well. It’s good a decision has been made and nothing really changes in my mentality, it just shifts a year.”

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But there is a potential minefield for athletes to cross in the coming weeks. The current UK Sport funding only runs until March 2021 and there is uncertainty how Gemili and others might be funded for a delayed Games.

“That’s a real unknown for athletes,” he added. “With funding, does that stay the same, is there a break and this year declared null? I don’t know — and I’ve no idea about sponsorship and kit

contracts either.”

For cyclist Lizzie Deignan, who has the potential to be Britain’s first gold medallist of the Games, the repercussions are wider than just sport.

She said: “My initial plan was to retire after Tokyo and grow the family and now that’s put off for a year. But any anxieties about that or a race pale into insignificance with the wider issues.”

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For now, she rides out solo for three to four hours a day in the hope that racing will resume again before the year is out. But she is toying with the idea of packing cycling in altogether for the season and spending more time with husband, Philip, and daughter, Orla.

“It’s hard to decide what to do,” she said. “It’s almost like I’m gambling. In order to race come, say, October, potentially I need to rest now and do nothing. But that’s hard as it feels unnatural and I’ve built up a massive bank of fitness. So maybe I just kick back and watch CBeebies and Justin’s House!”

Adam Peaty, meanwhile, has now almost entirely ended his full-on training regime, unable to swim in his Loughborough pool. Instead, he will take off an initial three weeks and focus on other projects, such as planning his race clinics with no racing for the foreseeable future.

“We’re now not under pressure to train and compete,” he said. “The Games will happen and, when they do, we will all be stronger and be able to celebrate what is an extraordinary worldwide event together.”

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