July 23rd is going to be a big day for the world, the start of the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, originally planned for 2020. In the season six finale of Overheard at National Geographic, producer Jacob Pinter fills in as host for a special episode produced in partnership with ESPN. Titled “Olympic Training During a Pandemic,” the episode follows the life of an Olympic athlete who has faced setbacks due to COVID-19, her ability to participate hanging in the air.
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Priscilla Frederick Loomis is a 32-year-old high jumper track-and-field athlete who finished in 28th place in 2016 at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Although born in the United States and a resident of New Jersey, Priscilla plays for Antigua and Barbuda. If she were to win a medal, she would be the first athlete to ever do that for Antigua.
Training hard for her final Olympics, with plans to retire after Tokyo, Priscilla’s world grinded to a halt in March of 2020 when stay at home orders began. Most Olympic athletes don’t make a lot of money, taking home only about $12,000 annually from high jumping, so with gyms closed, she had to get creative. Purchasing gallons of water, she filled them with sand to obtain some low cost free weights to use at home. To supplement her income, she also runs her own cleaning business and co-hosts a morning show on 98.7 The Coast WCZT.
On track to complete her training goals and make it to Tokyo, in January 2021 everything changed when Priscilla contracted COVID-19. It took her nearly two weeks to feel better and was so sick she could barely shower without passing out. Because she’s an athlete, everyone assumed that she would bounce back quickly and not have any long-term side effects. They were wrong.
Known as “Long-haul COVID,” Priscilla experienced discomfort in her chest from even moderate activity like getting out of bed. Working out was a challenge, but Priscilla tried to power through until her cardiologist, Barry Lowell, suggested she stop. Fearing that Priscilla had a condition called myocarditis, continuing to perform strenuous workouts could have led to arrhythmias that in some cases can be lethal.
Traveling to Philadelphia for an MRI, the results came back and suggested that Priscilla had scar tissue on her heart. For two days, she thought her Olympic athlete days were behind her. But Dr. Lowell called her a few days later and recommended a second opinion from a different specialist. It turns out the radiologist who first examined her test results misread them. Athletes like Priscilla typically have some scar tissue near their heart muscle and COVID related complications are so new that doctors are still figuring out what long haul effects look like on tests. While the mystery of her chest pain is still unanswered, she was given permission to safely resume training for Tokyo. She will have to place in the top 32 high jumpers in the world to compete.
This episode features two additional guests, Dr. Leroy Sims, the head of medical affairs for the NBA who helped design the NBA playoff bubble at Walt Disney World. He was also the team physician for Team USA Track and Field at the 2016 Olympics, so his experience closely aligns with Priscilla’s goals. He has seen firsthand the long term effects on basketball players who caught COVID.
Closing out the episode is ESPN Daily host Pablo Torre, who joins Jacob Pinter for a conversation about the health and safety protocols being taken at the Tokyo Olympics. Tokyo is still in a state of emergency due to recent spikes in cases, with under 7% of the Japanese population vaccinated. Citizens are concerned about the games, which are attracting athletes from all around the world. However, 80% of athletes are expected to be vaccinated by the games and no foreign spectators are allowed to view the Olympics in person, with attendance reserved exclusively for residents of Japan and capacity capped at 50% attendance.
You can listen to this full episode and others at the official Overheard at National Geographic website.