‘My whole world turned on its head in a day’: Swimmer Cate Campbell, 28, reveals she struggled to accept the reality of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics postponement – and has only just returned to the pool after seven weeks
Australian swimmer Cate Campbell has admitted she struggled to accept the reality of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Gracing the cover of The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine, the 28-year-old said she feels ‘most at home’ in the water.
‘It’s a time where I clear my mind and I begin to plan, and I’ve been feeling a lot more scattered than I would normally,’ the two-time Olympic gold medalist admitted.
‘My whole world turned on its head in a day’: Swimmer Cate Campbell, 28, revealed she struggled to accept the reality of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics postponement, as she graces the cover of The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cate spent almost seven weeks out of the pool.
During that time, she furthered her passion for photography, planted a vegetable garden at her family home in Brisbane, and got into furniture restoration.
Cate told Stellar that it took weeks for her to acknowledge the reality of the Olympics postponement, now scheduled for July 2021.
‘Having your whole world turn on its head in a day was a lot to take in. It took time to adjust. I am someone who doesn’t like change all that much,’ she said.
Shock: ‘Having your whole world turn on its head in a day was a lot to take in. It took time to adjust. I am someone who doesn’t like change all that much,’ the two-time Olympic gold medallist said
‘I had to recognise: this is pretty sh*t. Let’s not bury that fact and hide those bad feelings,’ Cate added.
In March, the International Olympic Committee and local Organising Committee confirmed that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will run from July 23 to August 8 2021.
This marks the first time an Olympic Games has ever been postponed.
The last time Cate took a major break from swimming was after the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Cate, who was the hot favourite to win the 100 metres freestyle final, finished sixth, as well as fifth in the 50 metre freestyle final.
Life out of the pool: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cate spent almost seven weeks out of the pool. During that time, she furthered her passion for photography, planted a vegetable garden at her family home in Brisbane, and got into furniture restoration. Pictured in 2018
The sportswoman wrote in an open letter in August 2018 that she was ‘ashamed’ of her performance and weighed in on the trolling she was subjected to.
‘You could not have been more ashamed of me than I was of myself,’ she wrote.
‘You could not [possibly] have judged me harsher than I was (and to an extent still am) judging myself.
‘In saying that, I did feel your disappointment, I did feel your shame and I felt your judgement.
‘For future reference, when you see someone choking, it’s not because they don’t care — it’s because they care too much.’
Read more: Cate’s full interview is featured in The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine