Illawarra Olympic swimmer Emma McKeon said she is confident she will be prepared for the Tokyo games, despite coronavirus restrictions disrupting her training.
The 2016 Rio Gold-Medalist said the decision to postpone the Olympics to July 2021 gives her breathing room.
“My preparation, I don’t think, will be impacted,” McKeon said.
“Now that we’ve got more time it just means more things to work on and more things to get better at, so it’s also a positive.”
However, McKeon said sports venue closures and movement restrictions, meant to stem the spread of COVID-19, have forced her to shift her training focus.
“You can’t really maintain an Olympic level of fitness, just because my schedule is so based around the pool,” McKeon said.
“I’m kind of just keeping fit different ways. I’ve been running, I’ve got a spin bike.
“I’m just trying to keep my strength up too, because it’s kind of the thing I’ve been working on the last year.
“I’ve been doing stuff at home that I can do to just maintain rather than try to gain.”
Gyms and sports venues were closed in March while public meetings with more than two people have been banned to reduce coronavirus transmission.
University of Wollongong sport scientist at the School of Medical and Exercise Science Dr Stephen Bird said the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted athlete routines.
“Athletes are very structured creatures,” Dr Bird said.
“They have a process, they have a structure and they’re very used to the rigours of training day in day out.
“So the first thing they need to cope with is the sudden change in what could be seen as unforeseen chaos to their regular schedule.
“I think it would be highly unlikely that all the athletes are going to maintain their current status given that there is going to be a drop off in the stimulus that they’re currently placing their bodies under.”
