'We’ve got a new plan': coronavirus shifts the finish line for Australia's Olympic athletes
21 May 2020 01:36
For cyclist Lucas Plapp, the Covid-19 pandemic has meant starting his gruelling training regime all over againSee all the stories in our Postcards from the pandemic seriesSign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsIt was the most exciting day of Lucas Plapp’s life. He was only 19, but when his coach Tim Decker called to say he’d been selected for the Australian Olympic team, it was the fulfilment of a childhood dream.It was 18 March. Plapp was a long shot to make the five-man team for the endurance track event at the Tokyo Olympics, but his performance at the world championships a few weeks before pushed him into contention. “It was my goal and what I wanted to achieve,” he says. “I don’t know if others thought it was possible.”It’s quite weird to restart the whole thing, knowing how hard that training block was, to have to put your body through that again. Continue readingread full article
