Cleopatra Borel is not thrilled at the prospect of waiting another year for her fifth Olympic outing. The veteran shot putter was training for Tokyo 2020, but was forced to change plans following postponement of the Games in the wake of the coronavirus health scare. “My training was going well,” Borel told the Express, “and I was excited to start the competition phase. I would have been ready for the Games, and as always I would have given it my best shot. But I agree with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to postpone the Games. There was no way athletes could prepare for the Games in this current circumstance.”

Borel said that while she would have preferred a 2020 Games, she is hopeful that training for a 2021 Olympic outing will have her better prepared to take on the best in the world.

“That’s the way I’m looking at it, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Borel turned 41 in March, and will be 42 by the time Tokyo 2020 is staged between July 23 and August 8, 2021. At that age, most elite athletes would have already retired. Borel, though, is different, her steely determination earning her seventh spot at the 2016 Olympics, at the age of 37. She was the oldest of the 36 athletes entered in the women’s shot put, and finished the competition with her best Olympic placing.

If Borel succeeds in her bid to qualify for the Tokyo Games, she is likely to again be the oldest athlete on show in the women’s shot put. The Mayaro thrower, however, is not daunted by the numbers.

“God is good,” she declared, “and I’m guided by the light.”

Borel had been having her share of challenges on the Road to Tokyo.

“Access to facilities has been an ongoing problem. The situation with COVID-19 made a bad situation worse.”

The 2015 Pan American Games champion does not expect postponement of the Olympic Games to level the playing field for all athletes.

“Time doesn’t make all things equal. But one must do their best with the resources they have to represent their country. This is why I’m proud to be an Olympic finalist. I know it’s a huge achievement coming from my circumstances.

“The countries that are consistently on the podium spend millions to prepare their athletes. From world class coaching, facilities, medical, nutrition, research and testing. Postponement doesn’t change these very important factors.”

In addition to dealing with her own challenges, Borel is focused on meeting the needs of others.

“My foundation is doing a food delivery drive for at-risk athletes and their families. We are going to have grocery hampers delivered to individuals in need of assistance at this critical time. For people interested in donating and those in need of assistance, contact us at the Cleopatra Borel Foundation on IG @cleopatraborelfoundation or @cleopatraborel or via e-mail, cleopatraborel20@gmail.com.”