Photos: Olympic fencer turns to food delivery amid coronavirus lockdown
Updated On May 15, 2020 10:26 AM IST
29-year-old Japanese Olympic fencer, Ryo Miyake, who won silver in the team foil at the 2012 London Olympics, has swapped his metal mask and foil for a bike and backpack as a Tokyo UberEats deliveryman. With the Olympics postponed to July next year due to the coronavirus outbreak, Miyake is looking at an uncertain future for his Olympic dream.
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Updated on May 15, 2020 10:26 AM IST
Ryo Miyake rides his bike to his delivery location in Tokyo. With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, top Japanese fencer Miyake has swapped his metal mask and foil for a bike and backpack as a Tokyo UberEats deliveryman. (Philip Fong / AFP)
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Updated on May 15, 2020 10:26 AM IST
The 29-year-old, who won silver in the team foil at the 2012 London Olympics was itching to compete in the home Games, says the job keeps him in shape physically and mentally -- and brings in much-needed cash. (Philip Fong / AFP)
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Updated on May 15, 2020 10:26 AM IST
Miyake holds a mobile app showing the direction to a cafe as the Japanese fencer prepares to collect an order. “When I get orders in the hilly Akasaka, Roppongi (downtown) district, it becomes good training,” Miyake told AFP. (Philip Fong / AFP)
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Miyake works out with a foil on the rooftop of a building in Tokyo. Japanese media have depicted Miyake as a poor amateur struggling to make ends meet but he himself asked for his three corporate sponsorships to be put on hold -- even if that means living off savings, reported AFP. (Philip Fong / AFP)
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Miyake waits for an order from a restaurant, in a park in Tokyo. The unprecedented postponement of the Olympics hit Miyake hard, as he was enjoying a purple patch in his career. After missing out on the Rio 2016 Olympics, Miyake ranked 13th in last year’s World Fencing Championships. (Philip Fong / AFP)
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Miyake stands next to his food delivery bag and a cycling helmet during an interview. The International Olympics Committee has set the new date for the Olympics on July 23, 2021. But with no vaccine available for the coronavirus that has killed nearly 300,000 worldwide, even that hangs in the balance. (Philip Fong / AFP)
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Updated on May 15, 2020 10:26 AM IST