by Stuart Weir
And the rain came…photo by Stuart Weir, Tokyo Olympic Stadium, August 2, 2021
The rains came on Monday, August 2, 2021, to Tokyo. I recall watching it from the Peacock TV stream, which was the global feed in the US, all track & field, all of the time.
Some athletes had challenges, as the rain came pelting down in the Women’s PV and Women’s 400m hurdles, and Women’s discus.
Consider this, with $15 billion spent on facilities in Tokyo, the consideration of rain coming down in stadium was not a long consideration. The fields flooded and the slipping and sliding by the discus throwers were more than madcap, it was dangerous.
Stuart Weir captured the rain and its impact, both the frustration and the humor.
Rain, photo by Stuart Weir, Tokyo Olympic Stadium, August 2, 2021
Weather report
The weather all week has been hot and humid. Sticky. The broadcast mixed zone is up flights of steps and one often sees athletes sitting on the stairs unable to go on. They are routinely given an ice pack to cool down.
Monday evening was different – the heavens opened. The pole vault had to be suspended but the track events continued. Here are a few comments on the conditions:
Holly Bradshaw, GB pole-vaulter: “I never experienced anything like that in my life, it was the worst conditions I have ever had. There were lots of run-throughs, lots of people close to hurting themselves, Sandi Morris actually hurt herself and it could have been a lot worse, but to lose someone like her from the final is a massive loss and I am gutted for her that she can’t defend her medal. It was a bloodbath and it was just about whoever could keep your head in the game and keep your body in the right place”
Laura Turner, GB, 400m hurdles: “It was horrendous – it is probably the worst rain I have ever run in. It was tough and I couldn’t see the first hurdle… I couldn’t see any of the hurdles, it was so wet and rainy. It was like running through water it was so bad”
Only Amalie Ieul seemed not bothered by the rain: ““I’ve run in the rain before and from my point of view it is just like another summer day in Norway”.
