'I can die': Olympic athletes struggle with Tokyo's sweltering heat

Earlier on Friday, Russian archer fainted as Tokyo's temperatures climbed to as high as 34 degrees C

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Russia’s Daniil Medvedev takes a medical timeout during his third round match against Fabio Fognini of Italy. Somehow, he pulled out a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win to enter the quarters | Photo: Reuters

Bloomberg AP Tokyo

2 min read Last Updated : Jul 29 2021 | 2:38 AM IST

Japan’s heat is taking a toll on the summer Olympics, making it more difficult for athletes already facing challenges from the pandemic to compete at their highest level.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev struggled with the heat in Tokyo — as temperatures peaked at 32 degrees C — before battling through to the quarter-finals of the Olympics, even asking the chair umpire who would be responsible if he died.

Asked by the umpire if he was OK during the second set, the Russian replied: “I can finish the match, but I can die. If I die, are you going to be responsible?”

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Topics : Coronavirus Olympics Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo olympics Tokyo athletes