You don't question wrestler Jordan Burroughs' mental toughness. The Nebraska all-time great's gold medal in the 2012 London Games in one of the most demanding sports known to man tells you pretty much all you need to know about his mental toughness.
But his strong mental makeup is being tested by a global health crisis as he trains in Lincoln in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, set to start July 24. In fact, scores of athletes are wrestling with pressure, stress and anxiety stemming from the unknowns created by the novel coronavirus outbreak. To wit: USA Swimming, one of the most important national governing bodies within the U.S. Olympic community, has called for the Tokyo Games to be postponed for one year, USA Today reported Saturday.
It seems far too early for such a mammoth decision to be made. But USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey has a point when he says he's “watched our athletes’ worlds be turned upside-down and watched them struggle to find ways to continue to prepare and train — many for the biggest competitive opportunity of their lives.â€
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Listening to Burroughs, you come to understand the complexities faced by Olympic decision-makers. I asked him Friday if he's comfortable with the notion of wrestling this summer in Tokyo.Â
"To be absolutely honest, and this might sound like savagery and sort of self-serving, but this is what I do — I am a wrestler," he said. "I'm a competitor. So, yes, to be on the biggest stage in the world and have the opportunity to win another Olympic gold medal, I'm willing to go through any sort of risk."Â
He paused, mindful of the gravity of his words.Â
"I don't want to risk other peoples' lives," he said. "I want to keep people around me safe. I want to make sure that people I come into contact with don't have any sort of imminent danger coming on my behalf. But I'm willing to go to Tokyo regardless of what the risk is. I'm willing to go and compete. I will go and win a gold medal, then I will go into a remote form of isolation where I don't have to see anyone for as long as it takes to alleviate the sickness.
"But I'm going to go and compete if I make this team."Â
Burroughs spoke just before heading to the Nebraska campus for training. It's been a little more than a week since he's wrestled anyone in practice — the sport's intimacy makes it far too risky. He still works hard on cardio by swimming and biking. He lifts weights. But, yeah, the coronavirus has created complexities that test athletes physically as well as emotionally and mentally.Â
For instance, Burroughs geared his training to reach a peak for the U.S. Olympic Trials set for April 4-5 on Penn State’s campus — where as a gold medalist he had a bye to the best-of-three 74-kilogram freestyle finals. But the trials were postponed, potentially to Memorial Day weekend (May 23-25), meaning Burroughs and another former Husker, James Green, had to alter their course of training. Keep in mind, these are finely tuned athletes preparing for the biggest moments of their athletic lives, and their windows of opportunity obviously are relatively small.Â
In Burroughs' case, the clock on his competitive days is ticking. He's 31. Consequently, he's pondered the possibility of being on the wrong side of history — that is, if the Tokyo Games were canceled entirely, his pursuit of a second gold would effectively end.Â
"It depends on how this thing shakes out," he said. "I don't know how it'll end up. A lot of people have likened this situation to the 1980 Olympics that were in Moscow (which were boycotted by the United States and 60-some other countries). There were a lot of people who had one shot to make an Olympic team and win a gold medal, and they were unable to do that."Â
Bottom line, Burroughs said, he's prepared for whatever happens, be it the Tokyo Games proceeding as scheduled, being postponed or even canceled.Â
"I'm trying to come to terms with it all," he said. "Looking around the country, and really around the world, I'm trying to keep perspective. There are people who are losing a lot more than I am. To be alive and to be healthy and to have my family with me is a great thing for me."Â
It's truly an incredible boon to the Nebraska wrestling program that Burroughs, a living legend in his sport, lives in Lincoln and routinely trains with Husker wrestlers. Talk about a recruiting edge. NU coach Mark Manning has built a program that this year was capable of capturing the school's first team championship in the sport. But the coronavirus forced cancellation of the NCAA meet, and Manning for the time being has shifted focus to training his Olympic hopefuls.
"There are a lot of questions, right?" Manning said. "It's kind of about having a championship mindset. There are so many things that could be going through Jordan's head. He could talk himself into so many scenarios, or he could just say, 'Hey, I'm going to do some cross-training, I'm going to get off the mat, I'm going to spend some time with my family. I'm going to be bored, but I've got to keep my mind loose. I've got to stay focused, but not intense right now.'
"He really doesn't have to be super-intense about anything. It's more about being relaxed, and taking life day by day. I know it sounds cliché. But you just never know. …"Â
It's the unknown — the uncertainty — that causes much of the anxiety that we all face in this remarkable period.Â
An athlete's limited window to excel only heightens his or her anxiety. Burroughs is wrestling with that reality as we speak, and counting his blessings all the while.Â
"I do what I can — which is focus on staying in shape and spending time with my family," he said.Â
Do what you can and have a plan. Sounds like good advice for anyone.