Aries Merritt training in Scottsdale, Arizona (© Getty Images)
We conclude our Area in Focus series look at North America, the Caribbean and Central America with a selection of images which show how athletes from the area have dealt with the coronavirus pandemic.
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For Merritt, Olympic postponement is 'not a dream denied'
Aries Merritt, the 2012 Olympic champion and world record holder in the 110m hurdles, spent part of his lockdown training in Scottsdale and Sedona, Arizona, in the US southwest. "Training during this pandemic has been challenging to say the least," he said. But he also welcomed the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games.
"A dream deferred is not a dream denied," he wrote in an Instagram post. "Having to wait for a chance to potentially win the Olympics again after adversity is something that I have been pushing for since my kidney transplant. A lot of you know my story and what I have been through, but only a few of you know my day to day routines and struggles. I will be ready no matter how long it takes."
For Akinosun, training and reflection
US sprinter Morolake Akinosun training in Austin and Leander, Texas.
Like many African-American athletes, Akinosun reflected and spoke out during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that swept the US in June before reaching other parts of the world as well.
"Today would’ve been the start of the US track & field Olympic Trials, my quest to earn another medal(s) & represent the United States of America," Akinosun wrote in a post on Instragram on Juneteenth, or 19 June.
"Today, I would’ve toed the line, giving everything I have to represent a country that doesn’t fully see me, that doesn’t fully love me or people who look like me... unless I have on a uniform."
Ricketts taking postponements and cancellations in stride
Jamaican Shanieka Ricketts, the 2019 world triple jump silver medallist, chose to accentuate the positive during her lockdown.
Coburn's lockdown goal: to remain as ready for competition as she can
World steeplechase silver medallist Emma Coburn training near Boulder, Colorado.
When the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games, Coburn remained upbeat.
"This is out of our control, and I have found peace and clarity in that," Coburn wrote in a guest post for Sports Illustrated. "I have not cried, I have not felt anguish or fear. There is nothing I can do except to be positive, be a responsible citizen, and get my mind right for the long road to Tokyo. I have recently learned that what we expect, what we crave and dream about, isn’t always what we will get, no matter how hard we work and no matter how seemingly unfair something is."
DeBues-Stafford on moving in the wake of the Olympic postponement.
Canadian middle distance runner Gabriela DeBues-Stafford recalls the day she learned of the Olympic postponement - and deciding whether to return to Canada or stay in Glasgow.
Mead: 'All I can do is be myself'
Hassan Mead training in Sedona, Arizona.
Mead, a 2016 Olympian and three-time World Championships finalist, came to the US from Somalia 26 years ago, and eventually settled in Minneapolis. George Floyd, whose death triggered this year's Black Lives Matter protests in the US before spreading to other parts of the world, was killed about a mile and ahlaf from where Mead attended high school.
"Watching the video of George Floyd being killed outside Cup Foods in south Minneapolis — which is about a mile and a half from the high school I went to — didn’t shock me," he told Runners World. "If you’re African-American and you come from a neighborhood like that, you see it happen, if not to you and your friends, then to someone from the area. What shocked me was the fact that it got caught on video and the officers didn’t even try to hide or reduce the brutality. It hurts to see someone taking their last breath on video, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen an image or a video of a black person becoming the victim of law enforcement. As sad as it was, it didn’t change what I already knew about the city I grew up in.
I was more shocked by Ahmaud Arbery’s death in Georgia. It was a daytime lynching. He was running, he had nothing to conceal, and he got shot. That shook me."
New Normal not a problem for Peters
Anderson Peters, the reigning world champion in the javelin throw, illustrated that there were plently of ways to keep training while under lockdown in Grenada.
Wimbley continues her 'Me vs. Me' challenge
US sprinter Shakima Wimbley training in Miami. At top, the 2018 national 400m champion illustrates her "Me vs. Me" challenge. "It's always a win-win," she said.
Schneider: Tokyo postponement a 'smart decision'
Rachel Schneider training near Flagstaff, Arizona.
“It’s definitely the smart decision and the best decision for the world,” Schneider told the Portland Press Herald when the Olympic Games were postponed. "I also feel that the Olympics represent something where the world comes together and given what’s going on, it’s probably not best to bring the world together in a physical way.”
Lack of races doesn't stop ultrarunner Karnazes
Ultramarathon Runner Dean Karnazes training in California's Mount Tamalpais State Park. In 2006 Kanrazes famously ran 50 marathons in 50 US states in 50 days.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics
