Russia’s not really at the Olympics. But that hasn’t stopped the world’s largest country from hauling gold out of Tokyo like a Siberian mine.
TOKYO—
The Russian Olympic Committee, as the athletes competing here are known, has 52 total medals at the Tokyo Games, putting them behind only China and the U.S. They can’t celebrate under their flag. Nor can they blare the Russian national anthem on the podium. Yet they’re walking away with hardware in some of the Olympics’ biggest and most prestigious events, even after the country was technically banned for a yearslong, state-sponsored doping scheme.
For the athletes who did make it to Tokyo, it took surviving the twin blows of national ignominy and Covid-19. It turns out that these might have been the best things to happen to them. In the midst of a global pandemic, Russians discovered a secret training weapon that was available to few other athletes on the planet: their own geography.
By locking themselves down in places like the far-flung Eastern city of Vladivostok or the Sakhalin island, many ROC stars were able to prepare in similar time zones and conditions as Japan. Others, like the gymnasts, may not have been 4,000 miles from Moscow, but practiced in intense Russian bubbles that transformed the pandemic into a grueling, non-stop grind.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Jade Carey wins gold, Simone Biles to compete in balance beam finals: Olympic Games Day 10Gymnast Jade Carey took the Olympic gold in the individual floor exercise final, her first gold and the fifth medal overall for the U.S. gymnastics team at Tokyo2020.
Leer más »
Transgender weightlifter Hubbard makes history at OlympicsTransgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made her mark by competing in the women’s weightlifting at Tokyo2020.
Leer más »
Simone Biles Wins Bronze in Final Olympic Gymnastics CompetitionBreaking News: Simone Biles is taking home the bronze in her final competition of the Tokyo Olympics!
Leer más »
The kindness GamesHeartwarming Olympic moments: The 'kindness Olympics' in photos.
Leer más »