The Indoor World Champion silver medalist threw a distance of 18.37m, in group B action of the qualifying round, but it was only good enough for sixth in her group.
Despite not achieving the qualifying mark, however, the athlete is delighted she was able to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games any at all.
For the 28-year-old a major goal had already been ticked off just by making it to the Games to showcase her talent, and she hopes it will pave the way for other young aspiring Jamaican athletes.
“I came to the 2020 Olympic Games to showcase my talent and also show the younger Jamaicans that they can do it too, they can do whatever they believe in. Unfortunately, I was unable to advance to the finals of the women's shot put. I have so much to be thankful for,” Thomas-Dodd shared via social media.
The second time Olympian reflected that she was close to stepping away from the circle for good a few years ago, but because of the strong support of her husband, now coach, she decided to stay with the sport. She revealed that the season was particularly challenging but that she has taken away a lot from it and it would only make her stronger.
"At this time a few years ago, I was so ready to hang up my throwing shoes but with the nudge and support of my husband now coach I continued and to this day he is my biggest support and motivation.
It has definitely been an up and down and unpredictable season which I have learned so much from. I am no doubt disappointed, however, I am also very grateful for this experience a second time around and If you know me you know that this will only make me stronger.”
The Commonwealth Champion ended by saying that her performance at the Games is not the best of what she can do and that she is not done yet.
China’s Lijiao Gong won the finals of the Women’s Shot Put with a distance of 20.58m, a new personal best. She was the only athlete that went over the 19m mark, Raven Saunders of the United States of America and Valerie Adams of New Zealand were second and third respectively.
The athlete’s exploits over the past few weeks have astonished the majority of the track and field world. A truly dominant performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics saw her not only successfully defend her title in both the 100 and 200m but set the second-fastest times ever recorded over the distance.
For good measure, she added a 4x100m relay gold medal to the mix to leave the game with three medals. Scrolling through the social media feed of her sponsor @Nike, on both their Twitter and Instagram main feeds, you would never know any of those accomplishments had occurred.
The feed did, however, during the period, congratulate the USA Women’s Basketball team, 800 metre runner Athing Mu and Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge who are all sponsored by the brand.
The last straw for many, however, would have been the placement of an ad featuring USA sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson ahead of her return to the track at the Prefontaine Classic last week. The much-hyped ad featured Nike’s caption ‘No more waiting. Let the @carririchardson_ show begin.’ The race featured both Thompson and compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, another Nike-sponsored athlete and Olympic silver medallist. Richardson is yet to win a medal and missed out on the chance of doing so at the Olympics after incurring a brief suspension for testing positive for marijuana.
Thompson summarily dismissed Richardson, and the rest of the field for that matter, after winning the race in a mind-blowing 10.54, with Richardson failing to live up to the pre-race hype after finishing in 9th position. The Jamaican’s time smashed the already impressive 10.62 mark she set at the Olympics and was just 0.5 seconds outside of Florence Griffith Joyner’s long-standing world record. The irony of the situation was not lost on the Jamaica track fans on social media and they made their feeling known by commenting on the post with the Richardson ad on the company’s IG page.
blkdynamit.snkr
The ppl hype her is she the Olympics double double champion and the fastest female in the world? I thought it was Elaine? ??♂️??♂️??♂️??♂️??♂️
makonem_theheir
She just got smokedddd.. Not even top 4.?????.. I guess the show got postponed
jovem_rei._
All of this for last place sis?
The company has congratulated Thompson-Herah on its “Nike Running” page, which has 5.7M followers, but not their main @Nike page which has 170M followers. Some fans have started a campaign to boycott the brand.
Jackson claimed a bronze medal in the 100m, competed in the first round of the 200m, and claimed gold in the 4x100m, before being part of a bronze medal-winning team in the grueling 4x400m relays.
A remarkable achievement, particularly considering that only a year ago a troublesome injury threatened to seriously curtail her participation in the Tokyo Games. Jackson suffered from severe shin splints a condition that affects the tibia and produces sharp and razor-like pain along the bone.
With the heavy demand placed on the legs by track athletes, the condition can, at worst, be debilitating enough to require surgery or at the other end of the spectrum certainly prevent the runner from delivering their full potential on the track.
When the athlete showed up at the offices of physiotherapist and performance enhancement specialist Yael Jagbir, in September of last year, her condition was much closer to needing surgery.
“It was pretty severe because if I even touched the area it was painful and she was unable to continue her season because of the pain she was in. She would have trouble warming up and things like that, so it was very severe initially,” Jagbir told SportsMax.TV.
“I’ve seen stress fractures that you definitely need surgery. If hers wasn’t treated properly it could have led to her needing to do surgery on her shins. It was right on the cusp of that point that she would have needed surgery,” she added.
After months of highly specialized treatment from Jagbir, however, the athlete slowly began to see improvement and the painstaking work really paid off in April, with the Olympic qualifiers just a few months away.
“Three months between September to November we were doing some very intense work, some pool therapy, land-based therapy. I was also doing treatment modalities to promote healing for the stress fractures,” Jagbir explained.
“When November came, she went back to training, we continued working with some modifications. In December, she did an x-ray and the x-ray showed that they were seeing signs of healing and that was the first time she was seeing healing in the shin from when it first started in 2019.”
“We just kept working, her work ethic is impeccable, so it was a good team effort. In April, when she did another x-ray, by that time the pain in the shin had really started to subside, she was able to train and able to sprint. When she went for the repeat x-ray, in April, it showed no signs of fractures. That was amazing, that was a miracle, for those fractures to heal while she was actually training is really amazing.”
Typically, a 400m runner, Jackson dropped down to the sprints for Jamaica’s national championships, where she surprised many by placing second in both the 100m and 200m sprints. The rest, as they say, is history.
Many pundits and fans alike have predicted a clean sweep of the medals for the women in the 100m, by no means a stretch with the Jamaican trio of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson having run the fastest times this year.
Two-time winner of the event Fraser-Pryce leads the way with her time of 10.63, which is the second-fastest ever run over the distance. Reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah is next, having run her best of 10.71 last week.
Finally, is Jackson, whose 10.77 puts her in elite company and is the third-fastest time, per athlete, this year. American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson has gone faster than Jackson this year, with a best of 10.72, but will miss out on the Games after testing positive for marijuana.
Some believe the 200m could provide a similar result but that event looks like a different kettle of fish entirely. Six women have run below 22 seconds this year. The list is led by the USA’s Gabrielle Thomas, who clocked 21.61 last month, the second-fastest time ever recorded over the distance. Fraser-Pryce (21.79) and Jackson (21.82) are next on the list but Jeanna Prandini (21.89), Anavia Battle (21.95), and Tamara Clark (21.98) have also achieved the feat.
Reigning Olympic champion Thompson (22.02) is seventh on the list with World Champion Dina Asher-Smith (22.08) and Shaunae MIiller-Uibo (22.03) certain to be in contention.
“All of these women have run below 22 seconds, five of them this year. Who will win, nobody has a clear picture of that,” Levy said on this week’s episode.
"You can’t discount 21.61 and even though I don’t see Gabby Thomas running another personal best in Toyko, even if she doesn’t, she’ll be good enough to be on the podium,” he added.
“When we factor in Miller-Uibo’s personal best of 21.74, coupled with her 47.38 capability in the 400m, it’s hard to imagine her not being on the podium either. That leaves one spot and we have not mentioned any of the Jamaicans yet.”
Last month, the IOC executive board approved recommendations in regard to Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, relating to athlete expression at Tokyo 2020 and beyond.
Although it pledged to "increase opportunities for athletes' expression during the Olympic Games" and celebrate "Peace, Respect, Solidarity, Inclusion and Equality" through collective branding, it was deemed "not appropriate" for competitors to "demonstrate or express their views on the field of play".
As such, any actions such as taking a knee at a podium ceremony will be subject to sanctions, although it is unclear at this stage what the punishments might be.
British sprinter Gemili told The Guardian "all hell would break loose" if athletes were banned for protesting.
If he is able to improve upon his fourth-placed finish in the 200m at Rio 2016, the 27-year-old explained he would not be dissuaded from taking a stand and cited double standards over the celebrations of Black Power protests at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico and the IOC's present position.
"For sure I would be happy to take a knee if I was successful at the Olympics and I had that opportunity," he said.
"I would definitely protest. The fact the IOC is telling athletes 'no, you can't do it' is only going to make people more angry. If the opportunity came, I wouldn't shy away from it.
"This is what I don’t understand: the IOC are so quick to use Tommie Smith, the picture of his fist raised, but they are saying 'actually, no one is allowed to do that'. It doesn't make sense.
"I don't think you can ban an athlete for protesting. And if they do, all hell would break loose and it could go south and sour very quickly. They will be very naive to even try to do that.
"The Olympics is not a place to be political, it's a place for sport and to bring the whole world together, but the whole BLM movement is more than political. It's about being a good human, and equal rights for everyone."
The IOC reported 70 per cent of over 3,500 athlete respondents to their survey were against demonstrations on the "field of play" or at official ceremonies, with that figure dropping fractionally to 67 per cent for podium ceremonies.
Nevertheless, Gemili feels the governing body's methodology was flawed when it came to accurately showing the strength of feeling from athletes of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
"I think the IOC knew exactly what it was doing," he added.
The Jamaican took to Instagram and wrote, “It’s funny. Looking back, the years went by so fast and before I realized it, I was looking at the end of it. A question that was asked after my swim today was: Would I give it all up for an Olympic medal? And honestly, I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything. All the ups and downs has made me who I am today (though at times it feels like there are more downs than ups), but it taught me how to get up and God taught me how to smile through it all."
Atkinson, who made her Olympic debut in 2004, finished third in heat 3 of the Women’s 100m Breaststroke but only just missed out on a semifinal spot. She recorded a time of 1:07:70, which was the 17th fastest, meaning she finished just outside of the qualifiers, with only 16 places up for grabs. It was her only event of the Games.
“My x5 Olympic journey ends here, but the Olympic medal is still waiting for some Jamaican girl/boy to claim it. I know you can, so keep pushing," she wrote.
The 31-year-old has not won an Olympic medal for Jamaica, but one of her most notable performances was at the Olympic Games. At London 2012, she finished fourth in the 100m Breaststroke. She beat Canada’s Tera van Beilen in a swim-off to make it to the final after the two were tied in the semifinal. She then went on to clock 1:06:93 in the final to become the second Jamaican to finish in the top four of an Olympic swimming event.
She ended her Instagram post by writing, “To the future Jamaican Olympic swimming medalist: “I hope the road was/is less rocky for you. If so, then I have indeed succeeded. We have waited a long time for you, so thank you for staying true and carrying the fly high."
Atkinson has indicated that she has not retired fully from swimming and this is just the end of her Olympic journey.
Competing in Heat 3, the Jamaican swimming sensation clocked 31.48 seconds in her first 50m and held a slight lead over the field at the halfway point. She, however, faded in the last few metres and returned to touch the wall third, with a time of 1:07.70 seconds. Atkinson’s second leg split was timed at 36.22.
The heat was won by 19-year-old Lithuanian Kotryna Teterevkova who clocked 1:06.82 to touch first, in the process securing her spot in the semifinals with one of the top 16 fastest times. German swimmer Anna Elendt also qualified from the heat after finishing second with a time of 1:06.96.
Atkinson was competing in a remarkable fifth straight Olympics.
The fastest time of the round was recorded by South African Tatjana Schoenmaker who smashed American Lilly King’s five-year-old Olympic record, clocking 1:04.82 to win heat five.
The semifinals will get underway on Monday at 8:50 pm.
COVID-19 forced the 2020 Games to be postponed, with the Olympics now due to held in Tokyo from July 23 to August 8 this year.
But with coronavirus continuing to wreak havoc globally, there are reports claiming Japan has privately concluded the Olympic Games will have to be called off.
The AOC responded to the reports in a statement on Friday, which read: "Both Japanese prime minister Suga and IOC president Bach have this week strongly reaffirmed their commitment to the Tokyo Olympic Games going ahead in July this year.
"The AOC is continuing its planning to ensuring the Australian Olympic Team arrives in Tokyo, competes and returns home safe and COVID-free.
"The AOC, Federal Government, Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council are continuing to progress the candidature for the Olympic Games to be held in Queensland in 2032 – and that process continues."
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach also insisted the Games will take place this year, despite surging COVID-19 cases in Tokyo.
Amid growing doubts, Bach told Kyodo News on Thursday: "We have at this moment, no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July in the Olympic stadium in Tokyo.
"This is why there is no plan B and this is why we are fully committed to make these Games safe and successful."
"You may not like it but sacrifices will be needed. This is why I'm saying, safety first, and no taboo in the discussion to ensure safety," added Bach after hinting at the possibility of reduced spectators.
Bach said: First of all, let me be clear that you cannot compare March 2021 with March 2020 because there is such great progress in science, medicine, vaccination and [virus] tests.
"All this was not available in March last year. Nobody knew yet how really to deal with the pandemic, and now we know much more."
Sobers competed in two events in Tokyo. The two-time Olympian first took part in the Men’s 400m Freestyle, where he finished 7th in heat 2, in a time of 3:59:14. His other event was the 200m Freestyle where came 6th in heat 2, but in the process set a new national record of 1:48:09. The time beat his previous record of 1:48:35. He, however, did not advance to the semifinals of either event
Even before hitting the pool on Saturday, however, Sobers was the centre of attention for the Barbadian public. Many were left irate by the prediction of veteran journalist Mike King who cast doubt on the athlete’s prospects of advancing at the Games. The article was met with fierce backlash from angry Bajans who voiced their opinions on social media, they accused King of undermining the efforts of the 22-year-old. It is unsure whether the controversy had anything to do with his decision.
Another Barbadian journalist, Anmar Goodridge-Boyce, quoted Sobers via his Twitter handle, as saying, “I am just going to take a break and if I miss the sport, I will come back. If I don’t, I feel like I’ve definitely achieved everything that I set out to do”.
Sobers first competed at the Olympic Games at Rio 2016 in the men’s 400 metre freestyle. He swam a time of 3:59:97. He did not advance to the semifinal.
Just a few months before competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Blake publicly stated that he wished not to be called 'the beast' anymore, an on-track persona that had seen him become the second fastest man ever over 200m, after clocking a lifetime best of 19.26secs in 2011.
On the back of a few serious injuries, however, Blake has failed to hit those heights since. At Jamaica’s National Championships, after a disappointing second-place finish in the men's 100m finals, he was motivated to take the top spot in the 200m.
Unfortunately, things did not go as he had planned. He was second-best yet again in his second final of the meet.
With legendary sprint sensation Usain Bolt having retired in 2017, many will be fancying their chances of winning a prized gold medal, and among the hopefuls is Blake himself.
And, for the 32nd staging of the Olympic Games, Blake says he is taking back the 'beast mode' this summer.
"It was a transition that I thought that in myself that the beast represents evil but when I look at it, it’s just a fiction and for me, it’s just acting,” Blake said of the decision.
“It is not like I am taking on the beast, but I am drawing back for the beast, so the beast is going to be back at the Olympics,” he added.
"I am feeling my old self, I am feeling everything and with God all things are possible. I am getting in my finishing touches and going back to my coach.”
Blake said that finishing second in both sprint events will not impact his confidence going into Tokyo because he is confident in his abilities.
"I know what I can do and definitely, I should have won that 100 with ease, but for some reason, God doesn't want the spotlight to be on me as yet. I just want to sneak up because I know I am not leaving that stadium without a medal."
At current, no swimmer on the island has attained the Olympic standard, which would ordinarily be needed to compete in Tokyo later this year. However, the International Swimming Federation, the federation authorised by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competitions, also typically offers smaller nations a chance to compete at the Games via the offer of universality places.
In order to qualify for the places, athletes typically have to have competed at the previous World Championships and gain FINA approval to compete. The rule has, however, been amended this year to allow for athletes having competed at the previous World Championships or that have been approved by FINA to be selected.
Universality places are offered to one male and female athlete from the selected country and, according to reports, FINA offered places to Bermudan swimmers Jesse Washington and Madelyn Moore. Both athletes represented the country at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.
Reports further indicate that Pedro Adrega, the Fina Olympic Games Swimming Entries Co-ordinator, twice wrote to the BOA indicating that the athletes had been invited to take up the spots. The deadline for accepting the places was June 20 and passed without the BOA taking any action. The situation angered Smith who wrote a letter to the BOA to express his frustration.
“Fina has invited Madelyn Moore and Jesse Washington to participate in the Tokyo Games. If the BOA is not willing to sign the document that needs to be submitted by June 20, it will have made a decision to restrict the Bermuda athletes to the A standard only for selection. This would mean that all athletes in Bermuda would be asked to be at the top-14 level just to compete at the Olympics,” Smith wrote ahead of the deadline expiration.
“How did we reach a point of creating further obstacles for our young Bermudians when our international partners have welcomed them with open arms?
“Why is the Bermuda Olympic Association spending so much time and effort to remove athletes that have been selected internationally and restricting our team size,” Smith later told the Royal Gazette.
The 31-year-old got a solid start before putting away the field to finish in a time of 9.95. The Jamaican was the only athlete in the field to dip below 10 seconds.
American Elijah Hall was second in 10.08 and his compatriot Kyree King third in 10.12. Another Caribbean athlete in the race, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Jason Rodgers was fifth in 10.26. Another Jamaican, Javoy Tucker finished eighth in 10.35.
Blake finished in second position at his country’s national trials two weeks ago but has vowed to leave the Olympic Games later this month with a medal. The sprinter, who has the second-fastest time recorded over both the 100m and 200m was excited by his performance with the Olympics just a few weeks away.
“I am very excited about the time; give God thanks,” said Blake.
“This is going to be my last Olympic, and I am looking forward to it. Definitely, I am not leaving that stadium (Tokyo 2020) without a medal.”
The 31-year-old, who will be competing in his third Olympics, will participate in the 100m and 200m sprints. Blake was once thought to be the heir apparent to illustrious compatriot Usain Bolt and holds the seconnd fastest times ever recorded over both events.
Following hamstring injuries in 2013 and 2014, however, he has failed to replicate that kind of form in recent years. In fact, in Tokyo, he will be looking to make it on the podium at major games for the first time in nine years. Whether he gets among the medals or not, however, the sprinter could already be considering what’s next.
“I am very excited to associate with Sony Sports as an expert panelist on their live wrap-around studio show, SPORTS EXTRAAA, and take fans closer to the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. Not only will the viewers in India watch me proudly represent my country at the Games but they will also watch me provide insights on the performance of the world's finest on the grand stage,” Blake told South Asian news agency ANI.
The programs will be broadcast all across India.
The phenomenal Hill is considered one of the quickest on his feet in the U.S. National Football league (NFL) and thinks he’s fast enough to be an Olympic sprinter.
Hill, dubbed the ‘Cheetah’, said he is actually considering making a run at it.
However, Bolt, a multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medalist and world record holder thinks the Cheetah doesn’t have a shot at making it.
The legendary Olympian told NBC Sports, Hill wouldn’t be close to keeping up with other Olympic sprinters.
“No, there’s no chance,” Bolt, a multiple Olympic Gold medallist and World Record Holder over 100, 200, and 4x100-metres, said bluntly.
“A lot of people think it’s about one-off runs, but it’s rounds that really show who you are and the amount of work you do. So I think no, he wouldn’t make the team.”
Bolt said he had a better chance of making an NFL roster than Hill would have making an Olympic team. He said he’d particularly love to catch a few passes from Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
Who knows if either scenario will ever happen, but it would be fun to see Hill or Bolt compete on a new stage.
Brazil secured the gold medal on home soil in Rio five years ago when defeating Germany via a penalty shoot-out, Neymar with the clinching spot-kick for following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
The two nations are together again in Group D, along with Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia, and are in the same half of the draw as Argentina and Spain, who are both in Group C.
Hosts Japan are joined in Group A by France, Mexico – who claimed the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London – and South Africa.
Les Bleus will be involved in the opening match when they take on Mexico on July 22 at Tokyo Stadium, followed by Japan taking on South Africa at the same venue later that day.
In the women's event, the United States – winners of the 2019 World Cup - are paired with Sweden, who lost the 2016 final to Germany. Trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand complete the line-up for Group G.
Japan will take on Canada, Great Britain and Chile in Group E, while the other pool contains China, Brazil, the Netherlands and Zambia.
Men's draw in full:
Group A: Japan, South Africa, Mexico, France.
Group B: New Zealand, South Korea, Honduras, Romania.
Group C: Egypt, Spain, Argentina, Australia.
Group D: Brazil, Germany, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia
Women's draw in full:
Group E: Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Chile.
Group F: China, Brazil, Zambia, the Netherlands.
Group G: Sweden, United States, Australia, New Zealand.
Francis, the country’s lone competitor in Artistic Gymnastics, was scheduled to take part in the four-event Women’s All-Round competition on Sunday.
After suffering a knee injury, however, the 27-year has had to alter those plans. The results of an MRI, taken in the Olympic Village on Friday, showed that the damage to the joint was worse than hoped for.
As a result, Francis will only be able to compete on the Uneven Bars, which is the apparatus that is least likely to cause further damage to the injured joint. That means the athlete will skip the Vault, Balance Beam, and Floor exercises.
Francis is the second female gymnast to represent Jamaica at the Olympic Games following in the footsteps of Toni-Ann Williams, who at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was the first female gymnast to compete for Jamaica at the Olympics.
The gymnast was able to qualify for the Games based on her performance at the 2019 World Championships. She finished among the top 20 athletes who were not on a qualifying team. She ranked ninth in the group of competitors.
Sky Brown vowed to "come back even stronger" from the accident that saw her airlifted to hospital with fractures to her skull and breaks to her left hand and wrist.
Brown had been training with Tony Hawk, a superstar of the sport, at his California base on Thursday.
Video footage of the lead-up to the crash was posted on the youngster's Instagram account, which is managed by her mother, Mieko, revealing the moment Brown seemingly attempts to cross from one ramp to another.
It showed her appearing to lose momentum and being unable to keep up with the skateboard, before she begins to fall as the footage is stopped.
She landed head-first on her hand. Emergency services and a helicopter are pictured in the video before the injured youngster is shown in her hospital bed.
Brown says to the camera: "I don't usually post my falls or talk about them because I want people to see the fun in what I do, but this was my worst fall.
"And I just wanted everyone to know that it's okay, don't worry, I'm okay. It's okay to fall sometimes and I'm just going to get back up and push even harder."
She added in a written note: "I’m excited to come back even stronger and even tougher."
Hawk responded to Brown's Instagram post by sending the message: "Worst day ever. Hope your surgery went well."
Brown's father Stu, quoted on the BBC, said: "Sky landed head-first off a ramp on her hand. When she first came to hospital, everyone was fearful for her life.
"Sky had the gnarliest fall she's ever had and is lucky to be alive."
Brown is hoping to become Britain's youngest Olympian at a summer Games next year.
Team GB sent her a message on Twitter, saying: "Get well soon, Sky Brown. We know you'll return stronger than ever."
Skateboard GB CEO James Hope-Gill said: "Our thoughts are with Sky and her family, and we wish her a speedy recovery."
At the weekend, Miller-Uibo looked in great shape as she cruised to victory at the Adidas Boost Boston Games, in the women’s 200m straight. In the rarely contested event, the athlete led wire to wire before cruising to the line in 22.08, which was 0.32 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kortnei Johnson.
The time was a personal best for Johnson, who was closely followed by compatriot Wadeline Jonathas in her personal best of 22.57.
Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye was also in the mix with a season’s best 22.62 and fellow Miller compatriot Tynia Gaither next in 22.96.
“It was a bouncy track, and I love a bouncy track. It was a pretty easy and comfortable run,” Miller-Uibo said following the event.
“The last few weeks, we’ve been dealing with a few minor injuries, but we’re getting through it and just taking everything one step at a time,” she added.
The athlete could contest either the 400m, which she won at the Rio Olympics or the 200m where she has the fastest time in the world this season.
Richards, in the last three years, has become one of T&T’s most notable sprinters, earning a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships in London, before joining the 4x400-metre team that claimed gold at the same games. He also won the Commonwealth Games 200 metres in 2018, and believes he is rounding into form nicely ahead of the Olympics.
With the announcement that if Coronavirus fears makes hosting the Olympics in July an impossibility, there won’t be a postponement but rather a cancellation, Richards believes his best chance of medaling in his career to date, would have gone.
“I will be very disappointed (if it is cancelled) because I am currently 26 and my next Olympics after this one I will be 30, so this one I think I would have had my best chance to get a medal,” said Richards.
Despite the uncertainty, the importance of this particular Olympics to his career means Richards can’t afford to let up and won’t, whatever the fate of the meet.
“Leading into Tokyo I am still going to prepare the same way I was preparing...if it is cancelled or not, I am still going to work hard the same way and hope for the best. Hopefully the coronavirus is under control and we would be able to go there and perform, but, if not, I would still be in good shape to compete in whatever other meets that is safe for me to attend.”
It was confirmed in March the Games would be put back to July 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The IOC executive board on Thursday approved a financial plan to deal with the crisis months before the Olympics were due to start.
A mammoth sum of up to $650m will be set aside for the IOC to cover the cost of organising the rescheduled Games.
An aid package of up to $150m for the Olympic movement - including international federations, national Olympic committees and IOC-recognised organisations - has also been approved.
The IOC stated it is "undergoing a deep analysis process to evaluate and assess the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on all of its operations".
IOC president Thomas Bach said: "The Olympic movement is facing an unprecedented challenge.
"The IOC has to organise postponed Olympic Games for the first time ever, and has to help its stakeholders come through this global crisis.
"This new situation will need all our solidarity, creativity, determination and flexibility. We shall all need to make sacrifices and compromises. Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures.
"This situation requires every one of us to do our part, and this applies to all of us, including the IOC. With today's financial plans, we are addressing these needs."
