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European 400 individual medley champion Ilya Borodin is out of the Tokyo Olympics following a positive test for COVID. The result removes one of the sport’s young guns from the Games, as Borodin was expected to contend for a medal in the longer of the medley events. The 400 IM is the first event on the swimming program.
The 18-year-old won the European title in Budapest in May in 4:10.01, a world junior and Russian record. Borodin was due to represent the team of the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) in the 400IM and 200IM, in which he was 15th at the continental showcase but didn’t progress to the semis because of the two-per-nation rule and he was the third-fastest Russian.
However, the teenager won’t now be competing at all with the Russian Swimming Federation releasing the following statement, which read:
“Unfortunately, during the final training camp in Vladivostok, one of the leaders of the Olympic team, European champion Ilya Borodin passed a positive test for COVID-19, which is why he will not take part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“The team’s specialists followed all the isolation rules in accordance with the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor.
“All athletes, coaches and specialists have negative coronavirus test results.”
Borodin is the first major name in the sport to be sent home due to COVID. After a year delay of the Games because of the pandemic, it will be interesting to see if any additional athletes, and medal contenders, find themselves testing positive for COVID-19.
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