Photo courtesy of Athletics Canada

By Scott Roblin

Olympic Uncertainty

VIDEO: Watson training in self isolation amidst uncertain Olympic future

Mar 19, 2020 | 6:47 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Since finishing off the podium at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sage Watson has been determined to win her country a medal.

The Seven Persons speedster has spent the last four years training diligently and has risen to one of the top ranked female hurdlers on the planet.

Her 2020 Olympic dreams have been thrown in the air however, as questions continue to swirl over the likelihood of the Tokyo Olympics going ahead as planned.

“I think we’re still holding onto the hope that the Olympics will still be a go,” said Watson. “From my end it looks very positive that they’ll still be a go, but I think it could change at any minute.”

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Watson is back home at her family ranch outside of Medicine Hat, returning last week from a training stint in Arizona.

With only four months left until the Tokyo Games are set to open, this is a crucial point of Watson’s training schedule and has been spending as many hours as possible in the track and at the gym.

This week though, she finds herself under self isolation after flying from the United States and is having to get creative with her training.

“It wasn’t suggested at that time to self isolate,” said Watson. “But, I knew that if I wanted to protect my other family members, I needed to self isolate especially in the community of Medicine Hat.”

That training has taken on a different form for Watson, needing to maintain her peak performance that won her Pan-Am Games gold leading into arguably the biggest summer of her life.

“The training has definitely been a little bit different,” said Watson. “I’m still doing all the same workouts, but I’m doing them here on my gravel road at my ranch. I actually put together a little gym in our shop outside on our ranch. So, I’ve been getting my weights and running in the best I can.”

An air of uncertainty is clouding the 2020 Summer Games with almost all major sporting events around the globe through June either postponed or outright cancelled.

Many of Watson’s training partners and fellow hurdlers across the pond in Europe are finding it tough to get

The International Olympic Committee has repeatedly stated that they plan to open the Tokyo Games as scheduled on July 24, though doubts from many have surfaced including four-time gold medallist and medical student Hayley Wickenheiser.

Watson has spent her entire athletic career training for a shot at a gold medal, but even she understands the stakes the world is currently dealing with and doesn’t support the Olympics moving forward at all cost.

“If it’s not in the best interests of the world or of Canadians to go to the Olympic Games, then I think they should be cancelled,” said Watson. “But, as of right now we’re holding onto the hope that things will get better.”

Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been a stressful one for the Watson clan, as her grandfather recently underwent open heart surgery and is among the most vulnerable populations for the virus.

During this time, she is encouraging all Medicine Hat and area residents to practice social distancing and to take the virus seriously.

Her training will continue while she waits for the pandemic to pass like the rest of us, however reaching that podium is not what’s most important these days.

“My priority in life is family first and the people I love first,” said Watson. “That always comes number one. So, as long as I’m here with my family and they’re healthy and safe, it doesn’t really matter to me what happens with athletics.”