By Emre Asikci
ANKARA (AA) – Turkish female taekwondo athlete Ayse Dudu Karatay says postponing the Tokyo Paralympic Games due to the novel coronavirus will not affect her negatively as she is working hard at home.
"There will be positive or negative sides of postponing the games. Postponing them will not affect me because I keep doing the training completely," Karatay said.
"Actually, it was perhaps better to postpone them. My friends who have a lack of training will overcome their shortcomings in this case. I think the decision to postpone has no negative aspects to affect their performance."
Karatay told Anadolu Agency that the pandemic forced her to stop working outdoors and she does her training at home.
The 36-year-old athlete said she prepared a training program to keep fit and adheres to every single aspect of it.
"I warm up by riding the bicycle for one hour at 8 a.m. every morning. Then I do endurance training and stretching, walking and running for five kilometers to avoid loss of stamina and performance. I also pay attention to what I eat and drink," she noted.
Speaking about her next target, Karatay said she wants to clinch a gold medal in the games.
"Believe me. It is my greatest wish to listen to our national anthem. I have no doubt that God will show me those days," she said.
Asked about her hobbies, Karatay said she spends a lot of energy doing gardening activities.
Karatay considers gardening work part of sports as she enjoys a high-energy workout in the garden, she said, adding that reading books, solving puzzles and playing games with her nephews are among her other favorite activities.
– Wealth of achievements
Karatay has two world championships, three European championships and seven titles in Turkey.
She will represent Turkey in the K42 +58 kg category at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021.
She has also been serving as a referee at tournaments in Turkey for two years.
– Postponing of games
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been postponed until next year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons also supported the decision, saying that delaying the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games is absolutely the right thing to do.
The Olympic Games will be held from July 23 to Aug. 8, 2021 and the Paralympic Games from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, 2021.
– Spread of pandemic
After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions, with Europe and the US currently the worst hit.
The pandemic has killed more than 297,200 people worldwide with over 4.34 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.55 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University of the US.
