Without The Crowd''s Roar, Tokyo Olympians Search For Spirit

Tokyo (AP) The beloved American gymnast Sam Mikulak flipped off the parallel bars, stuck the landing and blew a kiss toward the camera. Those watching the men's Olympics gymnastic competition on television back home knew they'd seen magic. "Beautiful!" the broadcast announcer exclaimed. "Wow, that was fantastic!" But all around Mikulak, the stretches of wooden benches meant to seat thousands sat mostly empty. Cheers erupted from a far back corner of the stands, where Simone Biles and the rest of the women's team screamed as loud as lungs could muster to cut through the eerie quiet of the pandemic Olympic venue. In arenas across Tokyo, athletes accustomed to feeding off the deafening roar of the crowd are searching for new ways to feel Olympic enthusiasm. They're rooting for each other as loudly as they can. Some are trying to envision fans at home in their living rooms, leaning into TV screens. They're blasting playlists in backstage training rooms. The lucky few permitted to compete with headphones keep their phones in their pockets, tuned to songs with a beat to replace the thrill of applause..

from Top India News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3BJVzk0