Jamaican diver Yona Knight-Wisdom plans to capitalize on the postponement of the 2020 Olympics but in the meantime is hopeful that he can compete in a few meets before the end of the year.
On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government agreed to postpone the Olympics that were scheduled to run from July 24 to August 9, until no later than the summer of 2021.
However, Knight-Wisdom believes he can take advantage of the opportunity that has presented itself, the silver lining around this very dark cloud.
“It’s a shame but for me, personally, it is an opportunity to keep on working on the things I have been working on for another year so that maybe next year I might be even better than this year if I continue on the same trajectory,” he said.
The 2019 Pan Am Games silver medallist, who represented Jamaica at the 2016 Rio Games, was looking forward to qualifying for what would have been his second Olympic Games but said news of the postponement was expected.
“It was the news we were all waiting for, more than anything. For me personally, it wasn’t a huge surprise, especially with all of the other sports that were falling victim to the coronavirus – the Premier League, the NBA, all kinds of cricket tournaments, tennis tournaments, golf, the list goes on,” he told Sportsmax.TV.
“The Olympics, it was only a matter of time before it got postponed because athletes can’t prepare properly, we can’t train. Yes, it is about people coming together but it is also about athletes performing to their peak. With one, two, three, maybe four months with no training, there is no way an athlete was going to be able to compete at their peak.”
His focus will now turn to managing the time he has in the best way possible as he looks forward to 2021.
“I have got to stay patient. I am hoping the whole season won’t be cancelled and there will be some competition towards the end of the season,” he said.
“I will just to take each day as it comes. Stay healthy, stay motivated, stay mentally active and not getting too bored every single day and do my best to get through this situation as it stands.”