5 Team Canada Athletes On The Olympics Being Postponed & How They’re Training In Isolation

The 2020 Olympics were supposed to kick off in Tokyo on July 24, but today the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the Games are officially postponed until 2021 over concerns of the coronavirus outbreak. The news follows Canada's announcement on Sunday that Canadian athletes would not compete unless the Olympics were postponed. As Team Canada posted on its website, “Postpone today. Conquer tomorrow.” 

There are few things more uplifting than an Olympic training montage. The journey to the podium takes years, and athletes dream their entire lives for the chance to wear a medal on their chest and wave their country's flag. The 2020 Tokyo Games were supposed to give many athletes the opportunity they've been training for, but this summer the world will still be reeling from a global pandemic instead of bonding over 100-metre sprint times and balance-beam routines. 

Here, five Canadian women who were set to compete in this year's Olympics — from rookies to veterans — tell Refinery29 about the heartbreak of having their dreams put on hold, how they are training during self-isolation (you'll never look at a Kitchen Aid mixer the same way again), and why they're proud Team Canada took a stand to flatten the curve.