Dubai: Imagine an Olympic champion after celebrating his success ends up sleeping in a park instead of getting a well deserved rest in a cozy room. This was the fate of Thomas Cecon, who won the men’s 100-metre backstroke gold and the 4x100m freestyle relay bronze for Italy in the Paris Olympics, but ended up sleeping at the park after losing in heats for the men’s 4x100m medley relay on Saturday.
In a social media post that has gone viral, the 23-year-old was spotted sleeping in the park and complained that he had to take the drastic measures due to the living conditions inside the Olympic Village. Saudi Arabian rower Husein Alireza shared the picture on his Instagram with the Italian swimmer putting a towel on the ground and sleeping on a side.
Ceccon said that he struggles to have a nap in the afternoon due to the heat and the noise in the afternoon. “There is no air conditioning in the village, it’s hot, the food is bad.
Struggling between heat and noise
“Many athletes move for this reason: it’s not an alibi or excuse, it’s the reality of what perhaps not everyone knows.
“I’m disappointed that I didn’t make the final, but I was too tired. It’s hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon.
“Usually, when I’m at home, I always sleep in the afternoon: here I really struggle between the heat and the noise,” said Cecoon as quoted by The Sun.
Apart from Ceccon, Coco Gauff had also complained about the conditions inside the Olympic Village. The entire US tennis team, apart from Gauff had left the village for alternate lodging elsewhere. The Indian Sports Ministry has sent 40 portable air conditioners to athletes competing at the Paris Olympic Games Village to help them stay cool amid the scorching heat and lack of air conditioning in their apartments.
Childhood dream
Ceccon said he fulfilled a childhood “dream” by giving Italy their second swimming gold with a thrilling victory in the men’s 100-metre backstroke.
Ceccon won with a time of 52.00 seconds, with China’s Xu Jiayu 0.32sec behind for silver and Ryan Murphy of the USA in bronze.
The Italian, who was fourth in Tokyo, delivered Italy more joy following Nicolo Martinenghi’s triumph in the 100m breaststroke on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Ceccon, who won the world championship in 100m in Budapest in 2022, said: “Ever since I was a kid I knew I could win this medal and today is that day. I can’t be happier. As a kid, at 15, the coach asked me: ‘What is your dream?’ I answered: ‘To win the Olympics’, and he said: ‘Calm down’. It’s always been my dream.”
— With inputs from AFP
