Two-time Olympic champion rower Mahe Drysdale says the decision to push back the Tokyo Games, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has left him doubtful for next year's event.
The 41-year-old, who has represented New Zealand in four Olympics, winning gold at Rio and London, and bronze at Beijing, planned to retire after competing at the 2020 Tokyo Games, originally scheduled to run from July 24 to August 9.
But the single sculls champion is struggling for motivation, after the International Olympic Committee moved the Games to July 23 to August 8, 2021.
"I had just returned from a training camp and felt I had made some huge improvements in my rowing," Drysdale wrote in a blog post on his website. "Two days later, it was announced the Olympics were postponed till 2021.
"In one day, I went from being on a high to lacking all motivation and questioning if I even wanted to go to the Olympics."
Drysdale said he had never before experienced a similar drop in energy and that the postponement had taken a mental toll.
"I have always been highly motivated and had an inner drive," he said. "I have never before questioned if I wanted to go to the Olympics.
"Right now, I am at a place where I am not certain that I have the drive needed to do what is required. Mentally, it has been challenging."
He added he would decide in the next few weeks whether to participate in 2021.
"Will I be in Tokyo next year?" he wondered. "I am not sure, but probably.
"I am not there yet, but it's not the time to make decisions right now. I am sure the answers will become clearer in the next few weeks.
"The past week, I have been doing a few acclimatising 'walks', testing the body and the mind to see if I have the want to get to the top again."
Reuters
