“This is a hard / easy call to make.” South Africa’s Richard Murray said after he decided to pull the plug on his individual race at the Olympics in Tokyo in order to focus on the Mixed Team Relay. “I’ve decided not to compete in the individual race in Tokyo Olympics. My body / heart is not ready, but I will be doing the Team Relay on Jul. 31 with Henri Schoeman, Gillian Sanders and Simone Ackermann. I find it important for Team South Africa to have a team, and I will race within myself to keep the fire burning for South Africa.”
A few weeks ago Murray announced that he was dealing with a heart condition called Atrial Fibrillation (AFIB). Before, and after, his surgery on Jun. 15 Murray lots of extra rest. Although Murray can, fortunately, get back to racing, he apparently doesn’t feel fit enough to race both the individual event and the Mixed Relay.
Tokyo would have been Murray’s third time racing individually at the Olympics. In 2012, he raced in London, finishing in 17th place. His second Olympics were in 2016 in Rio. That year, Murray nearly earned himself a medal, but he fell just short of a podium spot with his fourth-place finish.
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