At The 'Quarantine Hotel,' Olympians Deal With Isolation And Shattered Dreams
Some of the athletes who tested positive for the coronavirus were first-time Olympians. They all must wait in a "quarantine hotel" for up to 10 days and watch their teammates compete without them.
TOKYO — Today, Reshmi Oogink finally gets to go home.
But it won't be the homecoming in the Netherlands she expected after the Tokyo Olympics.
She was aiming to showcase her skills in Taekwondo. This would have been her second Olympics representing her county.
To get here, she battled with knee injuries that stopped her from competing. She went through years of rehabilitation. Then, the pandemic hit. She had one chance to qualify for the Tokyo Games. In May, she prevailed.
This time, she said, she wanted to get past the quarterfinals. This time, maybe she'd get that medal.
But before her first competition on Tuesday, the fully vaccinated athlete tested positive for the coronavirus.
Oogink is one
