Athletes get support systems back after pandemic-afflicted Tokyo Games

Athletes at the last Summer Olympics remember the hollow feeling of competing in front of empty stands, due to restrictions imposed as part of pandemic prevention policies in Tokyo three years ago.

While zero spectators and eerily quiet stadiums were bad enough, what was worse for many athletes, perhaps, was the absence of parents, siblings and partners. There were no lifelong pals, or childhood coaches — the people who helped raise and shape the Olympians and Paralympians; those who paid for the lessons and drove to the 5 am practices, or bought ice cream after a big win and wrapped a comforting arm around slumped shoulders after a setback.

The Paris Games, which begin this month, will welcome all those folks back to join the ride, offering something that was missing the last time around: a support system that can help improve results, help get through the tough moments and help celebrate the best ones.

"I might be the only one on the starting line, but I didn't get there by myself," said Oksana Masters of the United States, who has earned 10 medals from four sports at both Summer and Winter Paralympics. "So, for them to be able to be there and us to experience it together, that's the moment that I can't wait for in Paris."

It's a common sentiment.

"I just look forward to having friends and family, and the people on the journey with you, being able to be part of it. That's the most exciting thing — crossing the line and being able to look up and see the ones you care about," said American Alise Willoughby, who qualified for her fourth Olympics in BMX racing. "It was really difficult to not have the network in Tokyo. It felt like going back to a local night race, when you were a kid, where you might hear one parent yelling for their kid real loud."

While, winning a medal is the goal — that's what pushes the swimmers and sprinters, the gymnasts and judokas — and everyone else — during the long hours of training, and the years it takes to get to an Olympic level, there are other motivations.

"You're not doing it for money or for fame. You're doing it for the people you love. You're doing it for your country. You're doing it for yourself, as well. You're doing it for your teammates, your team, the team behind the team," said Team USA's Maggie Steffens, a three-time gold medal winner in water polo.

"Family means everything to me. My mom, my dad and my three older siblings really challenge me, teach me like they're the real coaches. Your family, they're the real cheerleaders; they're the ones who are sponsoring you. And it's almost like: 'I wish they could be wearing water polo caps right there with me and getting to experience that as well'."

It is a way for the ones who have been providing support — emotional, financial or otherwise — to see the end result of years of sacrifice.

That sentiment is why Megumi Field, an 18-year-old American artistic swimmer, talks about going to the Olympics as "my dream, but also theirs".

Which is probably why so many people with connections to the Olympians are excited to travel to France this summer. It's as if they are making up for the lack of a shared experience in 2021.

Ben Hallock, the US men's water polo captain, described it this way: "Everyone's like, 'I'm booking! I'm coming.'"

The same people who support Olympians can create distractions, too. Having a large group on hand can lead to a sense of needing to succeed for everyone else, which might be inspiring — or, possibly, a burden.

"I do owe it to anyone who supports me — my sponsors, my friends, my family, my coach — to do my best and win a medal, essentially," said Gabby Thomas, a sprinter who collected a bronze in the 200m in Tokyo, and will represent the US team in the same event in Paris.

American springboard diver, Andrew Capobianco, heading to his second Olympics, is hoping that his mother and father will make it to France, along with his twin and another brother, two diving coaches from when he was a kid, and his old gymnastics coach.

He thinks that it "would be terrific", because, Capobianco said, "they all had a huge hand in what I'm doing".

"However, it's almost like a double-edged sword, in a way. Last time, having no people there created less distractions, for sure. And, so, I was kind of able to just focus on what I needed to do," he explained.

"But, this time is going to be a lot different. There are going to be distractions. There's going to be a lot more hype and excitement there. And so, for me, I'm not really someone who thrives in that environment. I like feeling it, but I also need to stay pretty even-keeled. If I get too excited or too low, then my performance might suffer."

Support for Olympians comes in various ways.

Victor Montalvo, a Team USA breakdancer who competes under the name B-Boy Victor, recalls his father building a studio in their backyard for him and his siblings "because he wanted us to stay out of trouble".

"He didn't have money for rent, but he somehow found a way to borrow money to create this studio," Montalvo said.

"He also bought me my first passport to go to one of the events I used to dream of attending when I was younger.

"He didn't have money for that, either."

Agencies Via Xinhua