TOKYO, N. Lucena, an American beach volleyball player, had huge ambitions after beating Argentina to extend his Olympic participation. Scrubbing down, washing one’s hair and “maybe getting one’s nails done, all that stuff.”
Phil Dalhausser, his teammate, said under his breath, “Jerk.”
N. Lucena Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Dalhausser is in a modified quarantine since he sat on the plane with Taylor Crabb, a fellow beach volleyball player who tested positive for COVID-19 after landing in Japan, whereas N. Lucena is free to roam the Olympic Village (as much as anyone is with a state of emergency in Tokyo).
This meant that the athletes couldn’t train together for five days leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, and still means that they can’t train together outside of specific late-night hours after everyone else has left the facility. They still have trouble practising with other groups.
An Olympic worker always follows Dalhausser about to clean the gear after he uses it. The arena doesn’t have a shower, so he has to wait till he gets back to the hotel to wash up, and his hotel room is too cluttered with books to use the box of bottled water as a weight rack.
That’s because he’s considered a close friend or associate of Crabb’s. After sharing a plane with Crabb, two other American players, Jake Gibb and Kelly Claes, have been placed under strict quarantine.
“I’m 41 years old and I’m not permitted to seek treatment, so I’m trying to figure it out,” Dalhausser said on Thursday after his team defeated Julian Azaad and Nicolas Capogrosso 21-19, 18-21, 15-6.
In 2008, Dalhausser won gold at the Olympics for the fourth time in her career. “I’m relatively self-sufficient, but there are some things I just can’t get to,” she stated. And that, by far, was the hardest part.
Having spent the first week after his arrival in the relative freedom of the athletes’ village before being dragged away to isolation quarters, Dalhausser is mystified by some of it.
Claes said, “It’s weird” after she and Sarah Sponcil beat Kenya and moved to 2-0 on Thursday. When they told us, Sarah and I had already been sharing a room for eight days in the village. Not sure what you’re trying to say. I’m only playing the part I’ve been given.
Dalhausser Claimed that, With his Arms Outstretched, He could Practically Touch Both Walls of his Original Quarantine Housing.
Just know that it was difficult. After three days, he said, “Team USA busted me out” and transferred him to a Hilton. To paraphrase, “Everyone has been quite encouraging. I just can’t rave about it enough! Yes, it could be much, much worse.
He added that despite having tested positive for COVID-19, Crabb was released from quarantine and is now back with his family in Hawaii. The close contact isolation protocol for Dalhausser, Claes, and Gibb has not yet been lifted.
“Phil’s kind of isolated from everything,” N. Lucena explained. As the old saying goes, “If I get into it, all I’ll do is get upset and swear a couple of times.”
Dalhausser responded negatively when asked if he thought it was fair to compete against teams who had access to medical care and training that he did not.
But I get where you’re coming from. He explained, “I get that Tokyo is trying to be really cautious. “It’s really bad this happened to us.”
N. Lucena departed the press conference area shortly after. Dalhausser pleaded with the media to stay.
I have a COVID exam at 2:30,” he announced. “I guess I’ll be killing some time.”
As a result of this victory, Dalhausser and N. Lucena moved to 2-1 in Tokyo and virtually guaranteed themselves a position in the medal round. The 25-minute victory over Kenya by Claes and Sponcil made their record 2-0, and it was the shortest women’s match since the Olympics switched to rally scoring and the best-of-three sets format in 2002.
Final Words
The American duo probably sealed a playoff berth with a 21-8, 21-6 victory over Brackcides Khadambi and Gaudencia Makokha. Their final game will be this coming Saturday versus Brazil.
In other men’s events, Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner of the Czech Republic, who forfeited their first match because Perusic tested positive for COVID-19 and went into quarantine, required a third set to win Mexico.
Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan finished first in Pool A with a perfect 3-0 record after sweeping Switzerland (2-1) in the last rounds of the day. It was the Dutch (1-2) who prevailed over the German duo of Karla Borger and Julia Sude (1-2). (0-3).
