Tamas and Viktor Lorincz were already waiting for the Tokyo Olympics when the news of postponement due to covid-19 came. Both the wrestlers are in their 30s and will possibly be competing in their last Olympics before hanging their singlet. Age is a big concern for Hungary who would be fielding one of the oldest squad when the Olympics arrive at Tokyo.
Tamás, the 2012 London Olympics silver medalist and currently world defending champion is perhaps the biggest hope for Hungary for a medal at Tokyo. He will turn 34 in December this year. Moreover, Hungary’s first and only women’s world champion, Sastin Marianna, will be 38 next summer. It’s hardly a surprise that none of them had burst into joy at the news of the postponement, besides, of course, knowing it was the only solution.
Yes, there is reason to be reassuring that quotas that are already secure can be a huge relief and reassurance – especially in these uncertain times but as uncertainty continues to loom over the future of Tokyo Games, it is mentally exhausting for the wrestlers.
Physically and mentally, it is quite different to prepare undisturbed for one (in this case two…) years by concentrating exclusively on the Olympics instead of the grinder of qualifying competitions. But with nearly no competitions before the Games can be a challenge for veteran wrestlers.
“After a few weeks, we managed to overcome the initial shock of the postponement of the Olympics, but it is not very reassuring that there is still a lot of uncertainty, ” explained Tamás. “We try to be positive, but you hear a lot of not-so-encouraging news, so it’s not easy to prepare … It’s clear that we have the newly appointed date for next year, but when IOC President Thomas Bach already says so that they do everything they can to have an Olympics at all is telling. In any case, we are constantly training, working and trusting the best, and there is not much we can do. The goals are the same regardless of the postponement: it’s no secret that for me, for example, this Tokyo Olympics will be my last throw, here I want to create something big to put the crown on my career, that’s all that motivates me! We should be in one of the most important days of our lives now.”
Hungary has secured four out of 16 Olympic quotas so far. They still have the European and World Olympics qualifiers left to secure more places before the Tokyo Olympics.