Tokyo 2020: Olympics delay forces some athletes to bid farewell to career without fulfilling Games dream
- Not all athletes can hang in till next summer as Lin Dan and other veterans end careers after Tokyo Games pushed back a year
- Young climbing star Luce Douady will never fulfil her Olympic dream after tragic fall
Not all athletes were able to prolong their careers until next summer like Hong Kong track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze and fencer Cheung Siu-lun. Some notable stars, headed by China’s Lin Dan and rower British Tom Ransley will now miss out on the 2020 Tokyo Games that have been pushed back a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In spite of his advancing years, 36-year-old Lin was still targeting a record fifth Olympic appearance in Tokyo this summer. But soon after IOC took the decision to postpone the Games in March, the two-time Olympic champion decided to call time on his glittering career of almost two decades.
It was sad to read Lin declare: “Although I went through four Olympic Games, I have never thought of leaving the courts … No one can be young forever but there will always some new brave youngsters coming up with great passion and moving the sport forward.”
Lin, who made the announcement earlier this month, said he would be looking for a new battlefield as life moved on.
Ransley, 34, was all set to be part of the men’s eight defending Britain’s Olympic title in Tokyo this summer, but the postponement of the Games has signalled the end of his career.