BOISE – As reports surface that a woman contracted the Zika virus just two miles from the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Boise's two-time Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong says news of the virus has forced her to rethink her own training plans.
“I believe that the Olympic Games should be a very healthy and safe environment for athletes to compete in and if it's not I think that it's likely that a lot of people will reconsider,” said Armstrong. “Having these external stresses in addition to just the daily grind of trying to be your best as an athlete you know it weighs on you.”
Armstrong says she can't ignore the daily reports on the mosquito-borne Zika virus and what it could mean for her fourth trip to the Games. Her fear of contracting Zika caused Armstrong to reschedule an important training trip to Rio in March.
“It's hard because I don't want to take away that upper hand edge that we get by seeing that course but if I take that risk as an athlete and go down there and have something happen then it may take me out of competition permanently,” said Armstrong.
For now, Armstrong says she will rely on video of the course and continue training from home.
Meanwhile, Doctors are learning more about the Zika virus every day. With its links to serious birth defects, Dr. Jim Lederer of St. Alphonsus in Boise says the only people he would advise not to go to Rio would be pregnant women or men who may have sexual contact with someone who is pregnant.
“There's a lot here that's emotional, I think if this was just a new virus that caused pink eye and aches and pains and rash we wouldn't think anything of it because that's like every other viral infection we have,” said Lederer.
Lederer says that as far as viruses go, Zika is actually a relatively weak one, with only one in five people experiencing symptoms.
“It's not really one that would affect performance any more than other viruses that are out circulating this time of year,” said Lederer.
But when it comes to chasing down her third consecutive gold medal, Armstrong says she's not going to take any risks and she's going to keep her eyes on the road ahead.
“What we find out in three weeks, three months, five months I think is going to be really just a process and we're just going to have to stay tuned,” said Armstrong.
