The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games until the summer of 2021, combined with the country going into lockdown for months, tipped the world upside down for many athletes.
So as the preparations for the delayed Olympics get started in earnest how will the New Olympic Year look for those aiming to star at the Games?
For some, the postponement will have disrupted their perfectly-laid plans, while others may benefit from an extra year of training and competition.
As he does with most obstacles, perpetually positive taekwondo star Mahama Cho has taken the delay in his stride and reveals to teamgb.com that the extra 12 months could be a huge advantage.
“Last year was as hectic year for me,” he explains. “Balancing injuries with qualifying automatically for the Olympics.
“Having automatic qualification done and dusted by December was an amazing feeling. It gave me time to get my body right before the Olympics.
“Then the Games were postponed and I was happy because I was thinking that gives me another year to get my body in the best of shape for the Olympic Games.
“I’m not saying my body wouldn’t have been ready for this year but it gives me even more time get it perfect. Mentally and physically I can rest a little bit and my body will be more energised for the Games in 2021.
“I’ll be going to Tokyo in a better frame of mind and in a better place both in body and spirit. That gives me the best chance to win an Olympic gold.
“This is a blessing in disguise for me. I feel like I’ve been given a breather – I can enjoy this time before the Olympics rather than it be rushed, so I just looked at the positive aspects of the postponement.
“It can be mentally challenging but when you’ve been preparing for so long, you’ll wait a year or another two years even to make sure your objective becomes a reality.
“It’s probably weird to say but for me as a n individual, I don’t care how long it takes before they put on Tokyo.
“I really couldn’t care if it’s next year or the year after because I will be ready when that day comes.
“It’s the objective I’ve been working for all my life – being Olympic champion. It’s going to be a special moment and when the Olympic medal is round my neck it will be a hell of a relief because that’s this is the ultimate goal!”
British taekwondo stars have been back training at the National Centre in Manchester for a little over a month now – split into small groups with strict protocols that ensure any unnecessary contact is avoided.
But this is only the first step of a return for the sport, with no news yet on how a rejigged competition schedule will look in the build-up to Tokyo.
So what does Cho’s personal schedule look like for the next year?
“You know what, I don’t have a clue,” laughs Cho. “I’m absolutely in the wind here! I say to a lot of people ‘I’m in limbo right now and I don’t know what is going on’.
“For athletes when you don’t have a specific objective or an agenda it can be hard to keep yourself motivated.
“But as a professional athlete, this is our job, this is what we do for a living. There’s a responsibility that even if there is no objective or competition to aim for, I’ve still got to be motivated for training and make sure I’m ready for anything that comes.
“If a doctor woke up one morning and decided he couldn’t be bothered to go into work, as a patient you’d be really disappointed because he saves lives, you need him to be there and that’s his profession.
“I put myself in the same position – this is my job and I’m a professional. People are relying on me to bring home good results. That’s the badge I carry, so I can’t just wake up and say ‘I can’t be bothered’.
“Things might change very quickly and if they do, I’ve got to be prepared. I can’t just say ‘sorry, I couldn’t be bothered for a couple of months and now I’ve got to get my body ready’.
“I’ve got to make sure I’m always ready to go, whatever the situation.”
In fact, Cho can only think of one negative heading into his New Olympic Year and the outgoing heavyweight even manages to turn that into a positive.
“The only bad thing was that my plan was to go to the Olympic Games, be Olympic champion and then go off and get married,” adds Cho, who lives with his partner Samantha.
“Now I’ve got to postpone the wedding and focus on getting prepared for next year. That’s probably the only downside for my partner!
“She probably wanted the wedding to be done but she had no choice about it really! But I think she’s happy that it gives her a little more time to plan and tweak a few areas of our wedding plan!
“And she was saying it will allow us to save a hell of a lot more money to spend on it!”
Cho suffered disappointment at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – finishing fifth in his category to return home as Team GB’s only taekwondo player without a medal.
But if he ever lacks motivation in his quest for Tokyo gold, he thinks back to Rio and that will be sustaining him over the next 12 months.
“It’s in my mind ever since I left Rio,” he says. “It’s still fresh in my head as we speak now, even though it has been four years!
“Being the only athlete not medalling, seeing your teammates come back with medals it still touches me today. But it does not hurt to talk about it.
“I love to tell people about this experience – I think it’s a blessing for me and motivates me to keep going until the next Olympics come.
“My vision is clear in my head and there’s only one thing that I want – that’s to become Olympic champion. Team GB has never had a male Olympic champion before, so my mission is to make history.
“Rio 2016 spurs me on and there’s definitely unfinished business with the Olympic Games for me. That’s what’s driving me this year.”
Sportsbeat 2020