Australia

Hanging from vines above tropical waterholes, how our athletes are preparing for the Tokyo Olympic Games


Australia’s top athletes have taken over the tropical city of Cairns, ahead of the Toyko Olympic games.

The Far North Queensland city was chosen as the Olympic and Paralympic pre-departure training camp, due to its climate being similar to the Japanese capital at this time of year.

The Australian swim team has commandeered the local pool while the track and field team has been doing hot laps of the town’s athletics track.

The Australian Olympic swim team have been getting out and about in Cairns, including visiting local waterholes. (

Supplied: Cate Campbell

)

But it hasn’t been all work and no play.

Australian Olympic swimmer Cate Campbell has been busy posting pictures of herself and other members of the swim team on their day off in Cairns.

“What do a bunch of swimmers do on their day off?” she wrote.

Olympic gold medallist swimmer Emily Seebohm has also taken to social media to give fans an insight into her training regime, as well as the view from her hotel room.

“It was dark this morning when we go up but the sunrise at the pool was so pretty,” she said.

“And how nice is this room.”

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The Australian Olympic athletics team has also been in Cairns, preparing for the Tokyo games. 

100 metre sprint hopeful Rohan Browning has been training at the city’s Barlow Park athletics track, along with about two dozen other track and field athletes.

“I decided to stay in Australia to take advantage of the time zone similarities between here and Tokyo, it would have been nice to chase some competition opportunities overseas but it’s great being here,” he said.

A man running down an athletics track
Rohan Browning is one of dozens of Olympians that have been training at Barlow Park ahead of this month’s Games.(

Supplied: Athletics Australia

)

Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite sporting stars at the next restaurant table might be left disappointed.

Athletes are operating under a strict COVID-19 bubble.

Dual Olympic swimmer Jack McLoughlin said contact with the public was forbidden.

A woman hangs upside down from a vine in a swimming hole
Olympic swimmer Cate Campbell hangs from a vine at a waterhole surrounded by team mates on a day off from training. (

Supplied: Cate Campbell

)

“We’re still allowed to go out, walk around, get some sunshine, get coffee but if it’s anything to do with mingling with the public or sitting down at places and interacting with the outside world, it’s a no-go,” he said.

More than 400 Australian athletes are expected to compete in Tokyo in just over a fortnight.

Spectators have been banned from Olympic venues as COVID-19 case numbers in the city rise.



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