Elite athletes across the globe put in the work for 4 years for a chance to compete in front of a worldwide audience. For athletes in individual sports such as track and swimming that rely heavily on the Olympic cycle, will now have to wait another year to compete in the Olympics due to the Covid-19 Pandemics. So what does that mean for athletes that have been putting in the work to showcase their elite athleticism to the world? For some it may be a risk and others it may be just what they wanted. I have been interviewing athletes from different sports in order to better understand some of the adjustments as well as how they are preparing for an extra year of training before the Tokyo Olympics happen.
I recently had the opportunity to chat with American Track & Field star Kahmari Montgomery, a World Record Holder and U.S. National Champion, about his recent training adjustments due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Kahmari gave me a little more insight on the postponement of competitions and meets for the rest of the 2020 season, and how it may impact his professional career moving forward.
The Chi-town native, who currently lives and trains in Houston, Texas, has had the opportunity to represent the USA Track and Field national Team on many occasions such as the World University Games in 2017, Athletics World Cup and NACAC in 2018. He currently holds the World Record for the Indoor 4x400m relay race alongside some of his University of Houston teammates. He resides in his college town and trains with his former college coach in preparation for the 2021 Tokyo Track and Field Olympic Games Trials in Eugene, Oregon in June of 2021. According to the United States Track & Field federation, all the track meets that were scheduled for the rest of 2020 were either cancelled or postponed to 2021. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), also decided on March, 23rd that the 2020 Olympic Games would be postponed by one year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a professional swimmer, my case has been a little more complicated than for other sports as many gyms and pools have been closed. With these ongoing restrictions and limitations it makes it quite impossible to practice at the same level as before. Despite the setbacks, I have been staying positive and trusting the process. With the limited access to pools I am putting in the work to maintain my performance by training out of the water.
For many professional athletes around the world, the unexpected break seemed like a time of hopelessness with no practices being held nor important meets coming up. For Kahmari though, the Olympic postponement didn’t seem to bring too many concerns. “When I first received the news about the lockdown, and that we would have to take a break on our workouts, I was devastated! We started to get our meets either postponed or canceled meets and all. Mentally, we had no choice but to prepare for the worst, but it didn’t stop us from training and staying in shape,” says the athlete.
As Kahmari continues to prepare following all the safety protocols, training at a local track, I asked him what has changed, and how he has been able to return to progress on the tracks. “I am lucky I never lost hope of my objective. The Olympic Games have always been my main goal, regardless of it being this year or postponed to next year! This break has been giving me more time to mentally and physically prepare. The USA Track & Field federation has been planning on returning with the preparatory meets so I have been training regularly and normally for when that time comes,” says him.
On his journey to the Tokyo Olympics, he seeks to prepare and be ready to compete at the highest level making sure his body is always properly fueled with great natural products. “My main goal for the rest of the year is to make sure I don’t forget who I am. Remembering that things will always become challenging, but staying focused and humble to the game then we’ll be fine. Being Properly Hydrated is the number one thing any elite athlete needs to compete at the highest level, and I believe products like Hydra-Guard will help me stay on track to achieve my goals!”
If you support proper hydration during your workouts like Kahmari and myself, or like to practice sports and physical activities on a daily basis, Hydra-Guard Sports Drink is a great way of replenishing your essential electrolytes after a workout but keeping the calorie count low and consuming only 5g of natural sugars per bottle. Use KM10 for a special discount on your next purchase.