A Russian archer recovered after fainting in the Tokyo heat yesterday during a qualifying round at the Olympic Games as a heat wave pushed coaches and staff to huddle under trees for shade.
Svetlana Gomboeva collapsed as she checked her final scores, and required assistance from staff and teammates, who put bags of ice on her head to cool her down.
“It turns out that she couldn’t stand a whole day out in the heat,” coach Stanislav Popov told reporters. “This is the first time I remember this happening. In Vladivostok, where we were training before this, the weather was similar, but humidity played a role here.”
Photo: Reuters
Gomboeva quickly regained consciousness after collapsing, but needed to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher by medical officers.
Later she said that she would resume competing.
“I feel okay, my head hurts a lot. I can and I will shoot!” Gomboeva, who finished the round 45th among 64 archers, wrote on Instagram.
Andrei Zholinsky, chief doctor for the Russian Olympic team, said the cause was sunstroke, and they would change her hydration and rest regime.
With temperatures expected to peak at about 33°C in the archery dome on the first day of competition, athletes had challenges with hydration and staying cool, as well as those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stands at the Olympic archery venue were empty, with fans mostly banned from the pandemic-hit Games, but, soaked in sweat, volunteers and venue staff were moving around to remind participants to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
However, the attendees were gathering under canopies and trees while watching the action throughout the day.
South Korea’s Kang Chae-young, who came third in the individual ranking round, said that she had not experienced anything like Tokyo’s heat wave conditions at other events.
Some archers said that they are used to the heat, such as Taiwan’s Lin Chia-en, who finished 21st, ahead of compatriots Tan Ya-ting in 27th and Lei Chien-ying in 30th.
They were more concerned about a wind direction that was difficult to predict
“I am excited it is not cold,” said world champion Brady Ellison of the US.
He finished the qualifying round with the second-highest score among 64 archers. Taiwan’s best performer was Tang Chih-chun, who was 12th, ahead of fellow Taiwanese Wei Chun-heng in 21st place and Deng Yu-cheng in 30th.
Australia’s Alice Ingley had some simple advice for her fellow competitors on how to beat the heat.
“Cooling vest, slushies, fans, umbrellas, just all that, just try to keep out of the heat as much as possible,” Ingley said after her competition. “And drink water as much as possible.”
Additional reporting by staff writer
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