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Elena GaliabovitchThis spring, when other athletes were preparing to fl y
to Tokyo, Australian shooter Elena Galiabovitch was
standing in a drive-through clinic, waiting to swab
expectant noses for COVID-19. Galiabovitch, a doctor in
training to become a urological surgeon, worked shifts
in Melbourne’s COVID-19 wards earlier in the pandemic
and decided to pitch in at testing sites as well. The
31-year-old picked up shooting seriously in 2014—
originally to spend more time with her father-coach
Vladimir—and went on to qualify for the 2016 Olympics
in Rio. After working on the front lines of the pandemic,
Galiabovitch says she’s just happy for the chance to
gather with international athletes: “I hope it brings hope
to the world.” —Jamie DucharmeRachael Lynch
Western Australia, where
fi eld-hockey goalkeeper
Rachael Lynch is based,
has handled COVID-19
better than much of the
rest of the world. Still,
it’s been a busy year for
the athlete, who is also a
registered nurse. For the
past 12 months, she’s
been working for a mining
company, testing staff
before they traveled to
mining sites to ensure
the company could safely
continue its operations
during the pandemic.
The 35-year-old says her
colleagues identifi ed
several COVID-19 cases
in time to reduce the risk
of outbreaks. Although it’s
been hard work, she says
it makes her a stronger
competitor in the sports
arena. “I honestly feel like
it makes me a better ath-
lete, having that time away
and doing things to help
other people that aren’t
about me,” she says. “All
the disappointments that
come from elite-level sport,
they’re not as harsh and
not as bad if you’ve got
other things in your life,
and I think that’s impor-
tant.” Lynch, who com-
peted at the Rio Games
in 2016, knows that Tokyo
won’t be like any past Olym-
pics, but she hopes that the
world still gets to enjoy it,
even if they can only tune in
via television. “Hopefully
we can still make it a really
exciting spectacle for
everyone because we’re
very grateful that we get
the opportunity,” says
Lynch, “and there’s lots of
people that are putting in
a lot of hours to make this
happen.” —A.G.Gabby ThomasThere’s a reason the
press has crowned Gabby
Thomas the fastest
epidemiologist in the
world. The 24-year-old
American came in fi rst
in the 200-m sprint at
June’s Olympic trials with
a time of 21.61 sec.,
only narrowly missing
track-and-fi eld legend
Florence Griffi th Joyner’s
1988 world record of
21.34 sec. Thomas is
also at home in a very
different environment: the
classroom. She studied
global health and health
policy as an undergrad,
and is now working toward
a master’s degree in epi-
demiology. She hopes tohelp reduce disparities
in health care access
and outcomes. Health
is also personal for
Thomas, who qualifi ed
for the Tokyo Games
about a month after
doctors found what
turned out to be a
benign liver tumor.
Thomas told Runner’s
World, “I remember
telling God, ‘If I am
healthy, I am going to
go out and win trials.
If this is not cancer,
I will make this team,’
and that’s exactly
what I did.” —J.D.