We agreed to postpone the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 to 2021.

It began to feel real when we wanted to come back from the

training camp in Turkey.

We were among the last to leave the country. The airline sent us a

message at night, telling us there would be no more flights departing

from Turkey as of 8am the next day.

That's when it hit us.

My colleague sent a message to our WhatsApp group. It hit me hard —

that's a really hard pill to swallow. All you really do is train for

four years; it's the highest goal an athlete can reach.

Whether it was good or bad for me personally won't become clear until

the qualifications next spring. One thing won't change

— whether it's this year or next —

the Olympic Games are my highest goal, especially the upcoming Tokyo Games.

I didn't think athletes' nominations would be nullified. I was surprised.

But also happy because it gives me another shot at

proving myself and living my dream.

When you become an Olympic Champion, it takes a while to realize and

understand what's happened. A lot of that takes place at home,

and not on site.

It is the main stage for sports. So this year's decision was pretty

huge and carries consequences. Which is another reason why it's

so important that they were postponed and not cancelled.

Thomas Röhler didn't choose this downtime in the garden.

He had been training for the Olympic Games for several years

when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

The Games have been postponed for a full year.

In Spring 2020, the top-level sports world went into lockdown.

For around a week after we were in a sort of in between zone.

It was still ok to be on training grounds,

but let's say it wasn't welcomed. Gradually the sport retreated:

there were social distancing rules; and we moved the training equipment

from the halls to our homes so that we could stay fit.

None of us knew how long this would last.

Everyone has had to begin training alone,

and competitions have been cancelled.

Discussions about whether or not the Olympic Games could take place

began in March 2020.

We as a society don't know what's coming our way. We don't know whether

the Games will take place as a big event, or if it's a dangerous event,

infection-wise.

Going on walks has become a nationwide hobby. People are going outside,

and of course I am too. If you can't travel anywhere,

you explore what's outside your door.

We trained quite a lot. And then to find out the Games weren't

taking place — it was as if you'd trained for nothing,

because that was your main goal. It was really sad.

Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch is one of Germany's top high jumpers.

But she still wasn't allowed into the training facilities.

She started training in the forest, because of problems with the hall.

I went with her several times. It was outside, which was still allowed.

In the beginning we all thought: Ok it'll be two crappy weeks of pandemic

but then it will get better. Obviously that's not what happened.

It became clear that the Coronavirus wasn't just passing through.

At this point, no one knows how long the pandemic will last,

So athletes have been finding ways to train at home.

- Arms to the side, palms facing up. Right leg to the right.

A few weeks later,

Jungfleisch and her coach were allowed back onto the track.

Jungfleish competed in the 2016 Olympics. She came in seventh.

Many would be proud of that result. But not Jungfleisch.

We were both a little disappointed.

Because two weeks earlier she jumped two meters.

With two meters, she could have won in Rio.

After I came in seventh, I just wanted to be alone. I was so disappointed.

I didn't want to see Tamás; or anyone really.

The Tokyo Games are Jungfleisch's last chance.

She's in her early thirties.

But can the Games or any competition before Tokyo take place?

The uncertainty is hard to bear at times. I'm training for competitions,

which may or may not take place. I don't know — it's pretty upsetting.

"On this day I believe we can say that the first phase of the

pandemic is behind us."

"For weeks stores, restaurants and playgrounds have remained closed.

Now the capital is slowly returning to normal — to the great relief of most."

The first phase of the Covid pandemic is slowly coming to an end.

And the likelihood of the Olympics taking place is gradually increasing.

There's no bigger dream for me. I absolutely want to take part,

and hope I make it someday. I structure my whole life accordingly.

My professional career comes second to my athletic career,

and I combine competitive sports with my studies.

Madeline Folgmann has had to stay at her desk much more often than she

would like during the Corona pandemic.

Her passion is the Korean martial art Taekwondo.

I was very nervous. I can remember how one of my teammates told me to

do a loud battle cry to intimidate my opponent, which I did.

And I can't remember how it all went — but I know I kicked my opponent

in the head and she got a nosebleed. I looked at my mum and asked her

what to do. She said, good! And then I won.

It was a nice way to finish my first tournament.

The postponement of the Games has also had a positive side for Folgmann?

She didn't make it past the qualification tournaments.

When the games were postponed, those results were nullified —

When the games were postponed, those results were nullified —

I'm very disciplined. I make sure I have a good daily routine,

that my social life isn't too active or too late, and that I take time

to recover and rest. Basically that my life has structure. I need that.

She may be the underdog at the next qualification tournament,

but this doesn't worry her.

I've always had to fight my way through.

I've always had many competitors and I just fought my way through.

Once I'm there, I'll do what I've always done and fight — just fight!

The number of athletes who make it there is so small compared to how

many compete in the sport. But I want to be one of the ones who do.

Alexandra Ndolo is a German épée fencer.

For her too, there have been some positive sides to Corona.

I haven't been going to tournaments as much so I've had more time with

my family — and I've realized how much I missed that.

Before I would only see them for Easter or Christmas —

and maybe my sisters in between.

But these months we saw each other a lot, and that's been great for me.

Ndolo used to be a pentathlete. She only started fencing age 21 and since

then, the sport has become an intregal part of her life.

On some days it's from when I wake up to when I go to bed. I'm always

thinking about fencing because you can't take anything for granted,

and must keep developing. You can't rest on your past victories.

Ndolo won bronze at the European Championships, but she wants more;

Going to Tokyo to take part in the Olympics would be a dream come true.

I was 10 years old when I first saw the games on TV. They just hooked me.

And that fascination has never left me since.

It's a huge sporting event, with so many disciplines in one place,

and top performances - the biggest event there is for most disciplines.

And I want to be part of it.

In addition to her Olympic dream,

Ndolo is focusing on one other project close to heart.

She co-founded the Kenya Fencing Federation in her father's homeland.

When I was in Kenya with my family or met friends there I'd often get asked:

Oh you do fencing, what exactly is that? With that white outfit?

Fencing wasn't very common and many people didn't even know what it is.

So I thought it would be a good place to build something,

get involved and help out.

Her efforts to bring fencing to life in Kenya are starting to bear fruit:

The capital now has a successful fencing school.

She really tries everything. Whenever she's able to,

she sends money to her team in Kenya. She's also sent us gear.

We keep it back there. We are very grateful to her for everything.

Way back, I was this kind of person who used to go to town and do some

evil things to some people. When I realized —

or when I heard about fencing, it somehow changed my life.

It's exactly what I was hoping for —

to provide kids and teens access to fencing.

It doesn't have to be super professional; building the structure

is already great. And as of last year, we're part of the International

fencing federation. That was a big step, and I couldn't be happier.

Never before have so many new Coronavirus infections been reported

to the WHO within 24 hours. Numbers are also rising

quickly in Europe, just before summer vacations and travel abroad.

Thousands of scientists are working on more than 150 vaccines. But none is

approved for use. So just how close are we to getting an effective

Coronavirus vaccine?

Thomas Röhler is starting to feel the effects of his paired down

training regimen, and the lack of competitions.

Yesterday when I got up I was really sore — which normally wouldn't be

great for competitions in summer. But right now, it's happening quite

often and feels like the beginning of my training in the winter.

It's just taking a bit longer than normal.

Despite the restrictions, he's trying to make the most of the 2020 summer.

Even though at this point he doesn't know when he will be able to

put all of his training to use.

As an athlete, you want to plan ahead.

My trainer would also like to know whether the Games are taking place.

His workout has also become a test of patience.

In the summer of 2020, the infection numbers did go down.

But in 2021, virologists are still issuing warnings:

Will there be a second wave in Europe?

We don't know. Honestly, I think it all depends on vaccines.

However then, nobody knew how far away an effective vaccine would be.

There was one bright spot for Thomas Röhler though:

He and his partner just had their first child.

For me personally it's a stroke of fate that this happened now.

As an athlete, you're rarely home for longer than three weeks at a time.

So it was nice to be home longer now as a new dad. It also helped me

get through all the vague planning, cancellations and restrictions.

If she is going to take advantage of her second opportunity to qualify,

Madeline Folgmann also has to stay in good form.

The German coach will decide whom she takes. But it's up to me to

grow as an athlete, get better, and work on details that could end

up being deciding factors.

In other words, anything is possible. You never know what's going to happen.

Just like in this current situation. Always stuff you didn't expect.

But you have to keep hoping.

The Taekwondo fighter has wanted to show her skills to the national coach.

But this hasn't been possible because of Corona.

The constant uncertainty of not knowing is proving to be difficult.

Her family — especially her mother,

helps her cope and give her the support she needs.

That's enough Mucki, no? Looks good, right?

Because I still live at home she's there for everything and can tell

what's going on deep down. She always finds the right way to get

through to me, to help and support me.

My family is super important to me. They give me a lot of support.

I don't see them often so when I'm home, we try to use the time. Even if

that just means having dinner together — and enjoying some family time.

At long last —

the Taekwondo national team is meeting for the first time in months.

But instead of the all-important fight training,

only individual training sessions are allowed this morning.

And then the worst case scenario?

One of Folgmann's teammates had tested positive for COVID-19.

Everything has to be stopped.

It wasn't a surprise that the course was cancelled. It's a shame because

we had a lot of good training partners here and team training is different

to always training at home, because here we can compete with the

best in Germany. So it's a shame. But we have to accept it now.

Once again, Folgmann isn't able to compete.

It's another setback in her fight for an Olympic spot.

But what about her health?

Has Folgmann also been infected with the virus?

Unfortunately, I didn't get to show them everything in these three days,

so now I don't know...