COVID-19 has thrown up many surprises for Kiwi athletes this year, but it's also provided triathlete Hayden Wilde with months of uninterrupted training.
The time off has him thinking about doing something no New Zealander has ever done before - compete in two different sports at the same Olympics.
After winning the national 5000m title and 10,000m cross country challenge earlier this year, Widle and coach Craig Kirkwood have considered trying to qualify for another event in Tokyo as well.
"We were looking at doing the 5000m or 10,000m to potentially just give it a go," says Wilde. "Why not?"
Even though Wilde has strong ambitions, he admits trying to qualify for two sports would be challenging, but he's not giving up hope, with one race in December where he could still meet the qualifying mark.
"With COVID hitting and the uncertainty of races, it's going to be really hard for me," he says. "There are no races up for grabs at the moment that will give us those points to go towards it."
But his main priority is still being one of two male triathletes at Tokyo.
"If I get into the team, we've got two events as well - that's the mixed team relay, which we're really good at, and then the individual race."
For Wilde, it's a win-win situation, as he chases a piece of New Zealand Olympic history on the track.
"I think, coming into the Olympic Games next season, feeling really confident in my run gives me a really big [confidence] booster."
