Olympics-Swimming-Pool a hotbed of emotion as under-pressure stars unload

[ASFN Admin]

Tokyo 2020 has not been the coronavirus superspreader event that some feared it might become, but emotions - ranging from the ecstatic to the arguably toxic - have been shared freely in the heady atmosphere of intense competition at the swimming pool. Even the seemingly imperturbable American Caeleb Dressel, the brightest star of the show with five gold medals, went misty-eyed after winning his first individual gold on Thursday and on Sunday, as events drew to a close, spoke of enduring days of nervousness and tension. Against the backdrop of gymnastics superstar Simone Biles' shock exit from her first event and subsequent absence from competition, mental health was a regular topic of conversations between swimmers and media.

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