Returning Olympians look forward to crowd boost

PARIS – Gymnasts returning to the Olympics in Paris are looking forward to relishing loud cheers and support from family, friends and fans after a surreal, audience-less Games in Tokyo three years ago.

The Covid-19 pandemic postponed Tokyo 2020 by a year and even then forced a ban on spectators, including athletes’ closest relatives, for health reasons.

Mexico’s Alexa Moreno, in Paris for her third Games, said Tokyo did feel like an Olympic experience but that it was not the same as having family and an audience in the stands as she waited for her turn to perform.

“I like to have people watching – it gives me a lot of energy,” she said after training on July 25 at the Bercy Arena, where the gymnastics events begin on July 27.

“I came to Paris in September to the 2023 World Cup and it got really crazy,” added Moreno, who took gold in vault at that event. “It was amazing. I think it will be something like that. I’m pretty excited.”

German Sarah Voss recalled hearing every cough in the Tokyo arena and her own breathing on the balance beam. “Now that there are spectators allowed, I think it’s making me more excited. I guess everyone is more excited to get out there,” she said.

United States men’s high performance director Brett McClure, a former Olympic silver medallist, agreed that having fans in the stands would be amazing.

“We were really lucky to have a taste of it just a few weeks ago at Olympic trials (in Minneapolis) where we had 16,000 people show up for that event, and just the energy that comes out of that – that experience is incredible,” he said.

“Tokyo was difficult – to look up at the stands and to see so many empty seats, but obviously understandable given the time. So we are so excited to go out there in front of 16,000-plus fans.”

Defending men’s all-around champion Daiki Hashimoto of Japan said that being in Paris for his second Olympic appearance somewhat felt like a first.

“It’s the first Olympics I’ll experience with an audience, and it’ll be outside my country. It’s the second Olympics for me, but I have a strong sensation of this being a first,” he added.

“I want to make sure I perform confidently, without fear and the feeling of being a challenger at these Olympics.”

Britain’s Max Whitlock, who knows what it is like to have the crowd cheering on from London 2012 and Rio 2016, said it would be doubly special for him to have his five-year-old daughter Willow watching from the stands.

“In Tokyo, she would have been really young anyway,” the three-time gold medallist added.

“I’m excited because Willow can come and watch the Games for real, rather than just watching videos. That means a lot to me.”

REUTERS