In a major scare Russian archer Svetlana Gomboeva fainted during her performance in the Olympic archery qualification tournament in Tokyo on Monday. Gomboeva, 23, collapsed as she checked her final scores and required assistance from staff and teammates, making for a scary situation hours ahead of the opening ceremony.
Temperatures in Tokyo reached about 86 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday making archers uncomfortable, with Gomboeva passing out in the middle of the event. The archer later spoke to Russia's Tass News Agency wherein she confirmed that she is recovering at the Olympic Village and would be participating in the tournament.
Tokyo is Burning
The Tokyo Olympics has been marred by controversies and now nature too is playing spoilsport, with archers feeling the heat, literally, on the opening days. Gomboeva is reported to have passed out while checking her final scores. Teammates and staff immediately rushed to help her and placed bags of ice on her forehead to cool her down. She regained consciousness shortly but had to leave the arena on a stretcher.
"Everything's fine. I've got a terrible headache but I am fine in general. I am ready to continue competing, everything's fine," she told Tass News Agency. Stanislav Popov, the team's coach, told TASS that she did not need hospitalization after fainting and falling. "She will continue participating in the competition on July 25," he said.
Teammates later confirmed that the Russian archer had recovered and that she was back on her feet. However, she is still weak but confident about making a comeback.
Hiding from the Heat
Friday was particularly hot and almost unbearable for the athletes. The intensity of the heatwaves forced archers and coaches to regroup under the shade of trees to protect themselves. However, it didn't help much as Gomboeva simply collapsed in front of the other archers.
Gomboeva, reportedly, hasn't played at venues where temperatures are above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. But this is just the beginning, according to weather reports. Temperature levels are expected to go up as high as 92 degrees Fahrenheit, making it imperative for the athletes to stay out of the sun as much as possible while staying hydrated.
Gomboeva is presently ranked World No 13 in woman's recurve archery and is representing the Russian Olympic Committee in Tokyo Olympics this year. Born in Moscow, she represents the Ulan-Ude club and took training under Erdynieva Gerelma. She was also part of the World Archery Youth Championships team in 2017 where she won silver.
Earlier this year, she won gold in the individual event in the World Cup stage, while in the team event she won bronze. After Friday's round, Gomboeva is placed 45th among the 64 archers in the qualification event.
