TIFFANY PORTER will bid to become the first athlete to win an international medal while wearing a FACE MASK.
Despite routine Covid-19 tests, Britain’s masked raider is the only person at the European Indoors Championships in Torun, Poland, to compete with her face completely covered.
British hurdler Tiffany Porter says she is taking extra precautions as she works in the frontline against Covid-19Credit: AFP
Wearing such a face mask is ‘no big deal’ and ‘normal’ for Tiffany PorterCredit: EPA
The 33-year-old mum-of-one, who runs over 60m hurdles indoors, is a pharmacist in the US and works on the frontline in the daily battle against coronavirus.
Porter said: “It is not different at all. I train every day in a mask. So it’s no big deal.
“It’s just an added level of protection for me. It’s part of my normal now.
“I haven’t really been paying attention to any response from teammates. Nobody has said anything about it to me.
“It just makes me a little bit more comfortable. They did a really good job of testing everybody while we are here.
“I do understand about what’s been going on for sure. I’ve been a pharmacist since 2012.
“Obviously dealing with a pandemic and having to be on the frontline in that regard has been a bit different. But other than that, it’s my life.”
It makes me more comfortable to take every extra precaution… No, I do not judge others for their decisions.
Tiffany Porter
Porter qualified for the semi-finals with a heat time of 8.04sec on Saturday.
But the Michigan-born star criticised herself for the “extremely poorly executed race”, focusing specifically on the unreactive start.
The 2013 world championship bronze medallist in the 100m hurdles is “fully vaccinated against Covid-19” and knows that mask wearing has “become controversial and politicised”.
She told her Instagram followers: “It makes me more comfortable to take every extra precaution (even if it’s seen as ‘extra or unnecessary’) and that should be respected.
“No, I do not judge others for their decisions or their approach to this pandemic.
“Information regarding the pandemic is rapidly evolving and we acquire new information and guidelines daily.”
ANDREW POZZI secured his place in the next stage of the men’s 60m hurdles with a winning time of 7.52sec from heat one.
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Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
