PEORIA, Ill. — Over 10,000 athletes from around the world will have to wait another year for their “one moment in time,” as termed by the late Whitney Houston, because the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus crisis.
It’s the first time in Olympic history the games have been postponed.
For sports fans thirsty for some live action, it’s another lagoon run dry in the increasingly barron desert that has become the 2020 athletics scene.
For competitors, it’s putting a lifelong dream on hold.
Two Peorians who have been through the Olympic rigors shared perspective with WMBD News.
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International Swimming Hall of Famer Kim Linehan was 17 when she qualified for the 1980 Olympics.
“Then, in January, my coach came in and told us we were boycotting the games,” she said.
The United States pulled out of the event, held that year in Moscow, in protest of Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan.
“I have numerous friends for whom 1980 was their year and they, unfortunately didn’t make the 1984 team, so to those athletes, it’s heartbreaking.
“To those swimmers that maybe [2020] was going to be their peak year, it’s devastating.”
Linehan called herself “one of the very fortunate” athletes from the ’80 team — one of just seven, to be exact — who were also able to qualify in ’84. Linehan placed fourth in the 400-meter freestyle.
She said the athletes who qualify for 2021 will be the ones who kept themselves in the game, mentally.
“It’s far easier to keep your body in good shape. It’s far more difficult to keep your mind where it needs to be,” she cautioned.
“There were moments [during the four-year layoff] when I said to myself and to my mom and dad and to some of my teammates, ‘why am I doing this?’
“You would hope you surround yourself with other athletes and teammates who are going to help build the mindset you need to achieve your goals.”
In order to achieve that proper headspace, Linehan, who in her post-Olympics life moved to Peoria in 1990 and became an admissions liaison for a skilled nursing facility in Metamora, suggested the athletes who expected to compete this summer should give themselves a little nursing.
“Take a short break. Reevaluate your goals, figure out how you’re going to proceed, and get a plan together as to how you’re going to execute that,” she advised.
“Maybe take a month off, regroup, and get back to it.”
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Tim Broe didn’t have to deal with any pandemic or boycott before he got to compete in the 2004 games in Athens, Greece.
The 1995 East Peoria Community High School graduate went on to qualify for the 5,000 meters final, where he placed 11th in the world.
But even though Broe can’t relate to 2020’s Olympians the way Linehan can, he has still been directly affected by the postponement.
Broe is now based in Boston, where he coaches professional runners in the Saucony Freedom Track Club, including “four or five who have a legitimate shot of making it” to the Tokyo games.
“They’re looking for answers,” he said.
“What I keep telling them is, let’s enjoy a little bit of time. We’ve had beautiful spring weather.
“Let’s go out and run and get our mileage up, and when we figure out what the next steps are and when we get a race, we’ll do this fall and winter, and next spring, exactly what we did this year.”
Broe said with so much uncertainty looming, he’s been doing what he can to keep the mood light.
“We’re going back to basics and doing adventure runs, and going back to what made it fun. Going out and seeing new places and what I call ‘mood running’ where you run how you feel,” he said.
“If you feel good and you’re motivated, you run hard, and if you don’t, just run easy.”
So far, that approach seems to be working. If Broe’s team is an indication of the average Olympian, they aren’t feeling the dejection the average outsider might think it would.
In fact, it’s been quite the opposite.
“They see this as an opportunity. We got one more year to prepare and season that much stronger.
“They’re hungry. Personally, I would have taken a couple of weeks off and went fishing in Florida,” he joked.
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Since the interviews were conducted, the International Olympic Committee set July 23, 2021 as the makeup date for the postponed games.
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