Epke Zonderland can understand that Sunday’s horizontal bar final at the World Cup in Baku was canceled due to the corona virus, but he would have liked to do gymnastics in Azerbaijan himself. The 33-year-old Frisian is still not 100 percent sure that he can participate in the Olympic Games.
“Me and the other gymnasts have been in Baku for a while and the number of spectators is not large in these games,” Zonderland tells Omrop Fryslan. “I can understand the government’s decision. But if I could have qualified for the Games in that final, I would have taken the risk.”
In the hunt for an Olympic ticket, Zonderland has to deal with Hidetaka Miyachi in the world cup classification, although the Japanese has already indicated that he will withdraw from the battle with the Dutchman and will therefore no longer participate in the last two World Cups.
As a result, Zonderland seems certain of participation in the Games, but because the World Cup in Baku has been canceled and the World Cup in Doha has been postponed to June due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, Zonderland does not yet know where he stands. is.
‘I’m not yet 100 percent sure of Games’
The 2012 Olympic champion on the horizontal bar takes into account that Miyachi changes his mind and wants to go for his last chance to make it to the Games in June. “If it later turns out that Miyachi wants to participate, we will have to fight for it,” Zonderland emphasizes.
“That is why I am still not 100 percent sure of an Olympic ticket. In that case I have to show my highest level at the Olympic Games in June and a month later. That is difficult, but it is possible.”
Zonderland did participate in the qualifications in Baku and thus qualified for the horizontal bar final, which was canceled on Friday. The rest of the Dutch gymnastics team flew home as a precaution in the night from Thursday to Friday.
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