US gymnast Kara Eaker is doing well physically but remains in isolation three days after testing positive for Covid-19, according to AP.
Annie Heffernon, the vice-president of the women’s programme for USA Gymnastics, said Eaker is in isolation while teammate Leanne Wong is in quarantine.
Both athletes served as alternates for the US team. Wong, who continues to test negative, was put in quarantine due to contact tracing.
Heffernon called the positive test a “nightmare scenario” and admitted she is dealing with anxiety while waiting for the team’s daily Covid-19 test results.
“I mean, we’re devastated for them,” Heffernon said. “Of course, it’s not anything we dreamed of happening or wanted to happen. And it was a rough 36 hours, I’m not going to lie. It was difficult for everybody. It was hard for me. It was hard for the athletes. It was hard for the staff.”
The six-women US delegation of Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, Jade Carey and MyKayla Skinner worked out on each event during podium training on Thursday.
The American women are staying in a hotel near the venue rather than the Olympic village, a decision made before they arrived for the Games.
Australia has evened its record to 1-1 in Olympic softball with a 1-0 victory over Italy in Olympic softball. Jade Wall hit a run-scoring single in the second inning and Kaia Parnaby took a three-hitter into the seventh. Australia is fourth among the six teams after an opening loss to Japan, and Italy fell to 0-2.
Taylah Tsitsikronis doubled off Greta Cecchetti leading off the second, advanced on Tarni Stepto’s groundout and scored on a two-out infield hit by Wall, who beat the throw to first after second baseman Andrea Filler’s diving, backhand stop.
Italy’s Giulia Longhi singled with two outs in the seventh, pinch-runner Fabrizia Marrone stole second and Laura Vigna worked out a nine-pitch walk.
Ellen Roberts, who played college ball for Memphis, made her Olympic debut after Parnaby had thrown 85 pitches, and Marta Gasparotto took a called third strike.
American beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb is out of the Olympics after four positive Covid-19 tests, and Tri Bourne will take his place as the partner of four-time Olympian Jake Gibb when the competition begins this weekend.
Crabb confirmed his withdrawal on Thursday in a statement to The Associated Press, noting that he was vaccinated and tested negative before he left the United States but tested positive when he arrived in Japan.
“I’m symptom-free, thankfully, but deeply disappointed to not be able to join Jake on the sand and compete as a member of Team USA,” Crabb said. “I want Jake to play in his fourth Olympic games and I want him to bring home a medal. Tri Bourne, an incredible athlete, person and close friend will be competing alongside Jake and filling my spot on Team USA.”
The Olympic beach volleyball tournament begins Saturday at Tokyo’s Shiokaze Park, with Gibb and Bourne scheduled to play their first match on Sunday night against Italy.
The International Olympic Committee says it will start including images of athletes taking a knee in its official highlights reels and social media channels.
Players from five women’s soccer teams kneeled in support of racial justice Wednesday, the first day it was allowed at the Olympic Games after a ban lasting decades.
But those images were excluded from the official Tokyo Olympic highlights package provided by the IOC to media including The Associated Press that could not broadcast the games live.
Official Olympic social media channels also did not include pictures of the athlete activism.
“The IOC is covering the Games on its owned and operated platforms and such moments will be included as well,” the Olympic body said Thursday in an apparent change of policy.
