Even in isolation, with his board packed away in a hotel room, Australian Olympics hopeful Kieran Woolley endured a wild ride chasing selection for Tokyo.
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Woolley was caught up in the drama which saw three Australian skateboarders test positive for Covid-19, where he was forced out of a crucial event in the United States.
From California, the 17-year-old from Minnamurra has confirmed to the Mercury he tested negative on several occasions, but missed the Dew Tour event, a situation which could have cost him a spot for the Games in July and August.
Instead of competing, Woolley watched on television from hotel room isolation.
In the end, his ranking remained unmoved as the No.2 Australia park skater and 14th in the Olympic order, expected to be enough for a ticket to Tokyo when the team is announced in coming days.
"It was really tough, being stuck in the hotel room, knowing that your position in the Olympics was at risk and there was absolutely nothing you could do," he told the Mercury.
"It was a nail-biting afternoon, as we watched the semi-finals in isolation, knowing there were a few great skateboarders who could knock me out of contention if they managed to make the finals.
"Fortunately, that didn't happen and it looks like I didn't even lose a position in the world rankings despite being excluded from the competition."
During the three-day isolation, Woolley was informed by world skating governing body officials he would be able to compete, until a third member of the Australian team tested positive.
It was really tough, being stuck in the hotel room, knowing that your position in the Olympics was at risk
- Kieran Woolley
Woolley's father Mark had already moved them into separate accommodation, but the decision had been made to exclude close contacts from the event.
"With continued negative tests, we got reinstated late Tuesday (last week) and the next day I managed to get 30 minutes of organised practice, which worked out to be a total of six runs in the bowl," he said.
"(But) our bad luck wasn't over with another positive test on Friday morning throwing us back into isolation and eventually exclusion from the competition."
Woolley has gained an extraordinary cult following through social media channels, with one his Instagram clips of him doing spectacular tricks received millions of views.
He was even compared to the legendary skater Tony Hawk among his fans.
"It was wild to watch as random accounts got on board and loads of people connected with it," Woolley said.
And Woolley has had a key role in skateboarding's journey to becoming a more mainstream sport and being part of the Olympics for the first time. At just 14, Woolley won the prestigious Tobin Award as Illawarra Academy of Sport's athlete of the year.
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
