The sports community has been dealt a huge blow yesterday with the announcement that the Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed to next year. For one local athlete, swimmer Amy Micallef, the whole situation has been quite upsetting: “It’s heartbreaking for everyone to see this happening especially for us athletes, but realistically the whole world is suffering,” she said.
Amy explains how her efforts have been pooled into qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Games: “I dedicated myself completely to my training, giving up most of my life and any work to achieve my goals. With all that has happened everything was shut down. Competitions were cancelled, training had to stop and I’m basically on self-quarantine at home trying to stay safe.”
With all pools in Malta closed, Amy has also had to forfeit her usual training routine: “Besides not being able to swim, the hardest part was going from a strict routine with a clear plan to such stressful, uncertain times,” she explained.
Used to an active lifestyle, Amy is now trying her best to maintain her fitness levels at home despite the obvious difficulties. With the Olympics pushed back by a year, Amy keeps a positive outlook: “Athletes will have time to sort of start over. Once the situation improves I will sit down with my coaches, create a new plan and get back at it. I’ll have to work harder than ever to recover what I’ve lost in this period but I obviously won’t give up,” the determined swimmer asserts. Her love for swimming is crystal clear: “I am already really really missing my training and can’t wait to get back in the pool and eventually compete again,” she says.
Asked about the International Olympic Committee’s decision to postpone the games, Amy believes it was the right choice: “Unfortunately, even though the past few months of my life have been running up to the Olympics I believe that the IOC made the right decision to postpone the Olympics. They are trying to safeguard the health of the athletes and everyone involved in such a massive event.”
The athlete's resilience is commendable: "One more year to work harder and get better, I’ll turn the negative into a positive," Amy says.
We can't wait to see you in action again Amy!