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Sarah Sjostrom, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 100 butterfly, will undergo surgery today after sustaining a broken elbow after falling on the ice. With 166 days between now and the heats of the 100 butterfly, Sjostrom has a limited time window for recovery.
With about five weeks to go until championship season in college, the NAIA and NCAA Division III championships have been cancelled.
Read below the five biggest stories in The Week That Was sponsored by Suitmate.
The Week That Was #1: Sarah Sjostrom to Undergo Surgery After Broken Elbow
Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL
Sarah Sjostrom‘s preparations for Tokyo have been dealt a huge blow after the triple Olympic medallist revealed she is set to have surgery on Monday for a broken elbow.
The Swede posted to social media, saying that she slipped on the ice in Stockholm on Saturday and suffered the break.
Sjostrom said she was “devastated” but inspired by athletes who have returned stronger following serious injury.
The time it takes for a broken elbow to heal varies according to the severity of the injury but often it takes around six weeks which would be mid-to-late March.
That would leave roughly four months until the Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to go ahead.
Sjostrom said:
“Unfortunately I’ve got some bad news this snowy Sunday morning from Stockholm. Yesterday I slipped badly on the ice and broke my elbow when I fell on the ground.
“It’s obviously very shitty timing and I feel devastated, but at the same time I’m determined and motivated to come back stronger then ever.
“I’ve seen athletes who come back stronger after injuries and they are my big inspiration now. Surgery is scheduled tomorrow. I have an amazing support team around me, and they will help me with rehabilitation.
”
#2: NAIA & NCAA Division III Cancel Championships
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on Wednesday that the 2021 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving National Championships have been canceled. The decision came after the Columbus Aquatic Center in Columbus, Georgia determined it would be unable to fulfill its hosting obligation due to COVID-19 concerns.
A policy approved unanimously by the NAIA’s Council of Presidents in December states that a championship will be canceled if the host site withdraws within 90 days of a championship. Both the men’s and women’s swim and dive championships were scheduled for early March. Today’s announcement is the first cancellation that was made in accordance with this guideline.
The NCAA Division III winter championships have been canceled for the 2020-21 school year.
The Division III Administrative Committee, acting on behalf of the Division III Management and Presidents Council, approved the recommendation from the Division III Championships Committee to cancel all winter championships, citing low participation nationwide.
“Today, we made the difficult decision to cancel our Division III winter championships. While some institutions have been able to safely return to sport, the recent declaration form data show that more than half of our division has not returned to winter sport practice and competition to be in a position for NCAA national championship participation,” said Fayneese Miller, chair of the Presidents Council and president at Hamline, in a statement. “This was a very difficult decision to make, and we are saddened to do so. However, none of our winter sports meet the Championships Committee’s established thresholds of participation to hold a championship. We are committed to ensuring that our student-athletes have the best possible experience, and, for us, this means having a meaningful number of competitions. We hope this is possible for our spring championship.”
The Week That Was #3: Shoma Sato Blasts Another 2:06 200 Breast at Japan Open
Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS / ISL
19-year-old Shoma Sato, just a few weeks removed from his 2:06.83 at the Kitajima Cup, swam even faster on Sunday in the 200 breaststroke final on the last day of the Japan Open at the Olympic pool in Tokyo. Sato swam a 2:06.74 to remain fourth all-time as he also dragged Ippei Watanabe, the winner of the bronze at the 2019 Worlds, to a 2:07.54, which is just off his 2:07.0 from December.
Sato and Watanabe looks to be a solid 1-2 punch ahead of a home Olympics as they have christened the pool with some fast swims. The 200 breast looks to be one of the top races at the Olympic Games this summer as Japan has a rich history in the 200 breaststroke, and it would be fitting if Kimigayo was played for the 200 breaststroke medal ceremony in Japan.
#4: How Tokyo Organizers Plan to Run a Safe Olympics
The venue – an artist’s impression – Photo Courtesy: Tokyo2020
Olympic organisers insist the emphasis is on safety as they unveiled new guidelines for international federation and technical officials who are expected to attend Tokyo 2020.
The Olympics are scheduled to run from 23 July – 8 August with the Paralympics following from 24 August-5 September.
However, speculation has been ever mounting over recent weeks with the rise in coronavirus cases across the world although Yoshiro Mori – president of the Tokyo organising committee – was adamant on Tuesday that the Games will go ahead.
The Tokyo Olympic organising committee, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee on Wednesday unveiled a playbook for detailing COVID-19 measures that will be implemented come July.
This includes:
- To not use public transport without permission
- Requesting athletes and officials to wear face masks at “all times” indoors, except when eating or sleeping
- Avoid physical contact
- Keep two metres distance from athletes and at least one metre from others
- Officials to be banned from visiting tourist areas, bars, restaurants and shops
- Asking spectators not to sing or chant but instead to clap
- Delegations and staff will be required to appoint a COVID-19 liaison officer
The Week That Was #5: Torri Huske Breaks Own National High School Record in 100 Fly
Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble
A leading contender to represent the United States at this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Torri Huske put together a superb performance on Saturday night at the Virginia Northern Region Championships, including breaking her own National Public High School record in the 100-yard butterfly.
Ahead of next week’s state championships, Huske turned in a performance of 50.67 in the 100 fly, an effort that trimmed .02 off her previous public-school standard. Huske owns a career-best mark of 50.29, which she managed outside of high school competition. Prior to the fly, Huske picked up her first win in the 200 individual medley, as she covered the event in 1:54.90, not far off her personal best of 1:54.50.
