Former Olympic marathoner Mara Yamauchi has “mixed feelings” as Japan gets set to host the Tokyo Games under extraordinary circumstances due to the pandemic.
Still, she believes that athletes will not be affected by the restrictions brought about by COVID-19 and the lack of spectators at the majority of Olympic venues. The world’s biggest sporting event will be held with Tokyo under a state of emergency.
“When I was competing in a marathon, I was just so focused,” the two-time Olympian told The Japan Times in a recent online interview from her residence in London. “I often didn’t pay attention to what’s going on. Often after the race, people would say to me, ‘Oh, I cheered you at this place or that place. And I have no memory of hearing it or seeing them because I was just concentrating on running.”