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TOKYO – One of America’s top prospects for gold in athletics was kicked out of the Olympics on Thursday as Covid-19 wreaked havoc on athlete ranks just as events were about to begin .
News that Sam Kendricks, the reigning two-time pole vault world champion, had tested positive briefly sent the Aussie team into isolation – an unwelcome reminder of the threat of the virus and the upheaval it can bring and which continues to hover over the sports drama of the Games on the eve of the start in athletics.
About 2,000 athletes are listed in the track lineup as the biggest sport in the sprawling Olympic program begins in full on Friday.
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It also came as Tokyo metropolitan government officials reported a record 3,865 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, shattering previous records of 3,177 set on Wednesday and 2,848 on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee tried to reassure a nervous Japanese public that the pandemic was not spreading outside the Olympic Village.
“As far as I know, there is not a single case of infection spreading to the people of Tokyo through the athletes or the Olympic movement,” said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams.
But 24 more people accredited for the Tokyo Games tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infected accreditation holders to 193, Olympic organizers said.
The first word that Kendricks had tested positive was posted on Instagram by the father and co-coach of 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Scott Kendricks.
“Today in Tokyo, authorities informed Sam that his daily test for Cov 19 was positive. He is therefore out of competition. He feels fine and has no symptoms. I love you son. See you soon. #rancho_olympia #polevaulting “
Scott Kendricks’ post was deleted shortly after being shared.
But alarmed by the report, the Australian athletics team immediately confined their entire team of 54 to solitary confinement and put them to testing after three athletes reported having occasional contact with Kendricks.
The trio then tested negative and all but these three were allowed to return to normal activities.
Among them was Australian outfielder Kurtis Marschall, who had trained with Kendricks, as well as Marshall’s trainer Paul Burgess and another pole vaulter, Nina Kennedy.
The US Olympic Committee has confirmed Kendricks’ positive test in a Twitter message series. “Sam is an incredible and accomplished member of Team USA and his presence will be missed,” he said.
A native of Oxford, Mississippi, Kendricks, 28, is a first lieutenant in the US Army Reserve. He is the reigning two-time world pole vault champion and was considered a gold medal contender.
Matt Ludwig, who placed fourth at the US Trials, is the team’s replacement in that event. It wasn’t immediately clear that he could successfully join them in Tokyo in time for the men’s pole vault qualifying competition, which kicks off Saturday morning in Japan, or 8:40 p.m. ET on Friday.
Despite Japan’s success in medals, polls have shown that the Japanese public continue to be wary of hosting the Olympics during a pandemic.
In recent days, a record number of new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Tokyo, which was in a state of emergency, which banned all fans from watching athletes compete at Olympic venues.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has insisted the Games are “safe and secure” and that he is “not worried” about the spike in new cases of Covid-19.
But Dr Shigeru Omi, who is the Japanese equivalent of Dr Anthony Fauci, told the country’s parliament on Thursday “we are currently facing the most critical moment of this past year and a half in dealing with Covid.”
“I urge the government to improve more than ever the way it conveys its messages to the public in terms of risk communication,” he said.
When asked what new measures could be taken to slow the spread, Omi replied, “At the moment, there is nothing that can reduce the current rate of infection.”
The Associated Press and NBC Olympics contributed.
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