An Olympic archer collapsed and had to be helped out of the arena as sweltering temperatures hit Tokyo
Earlier this week a number of beach volleyball players had to stop practicing because the sand was too hot.
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- Russian archer Svetlana Gomboeva fainted from sunstroke as during qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.
- The 23-year-old later posted on Instagram that her 'head hurt a lot' but she was okay to continue.
- Tokyo is experiencing its hottest period of the year and the games could be the hottest on record.
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A Russian archer became the latest victim of the Tokyo heatwave as she collapsed following her qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics on Friday.
Svetlana Gomboeva had to have ice packs applied to her forehead by staff and teammates and had to be helped out of the arena.
Later posting on her Instagram story, Gomboeva said her head "hurts a lot" but she "can and will shoot!"
The Russian team doctor said sunstroke was the cause of the collapse and that the team would change Gomboeva's hydration and rest regime to combat the high temperatures and humidity in Tokyo.
-EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) July 23, 2021
The archer finished 45th out of the 64 archers but her coach Stanislav Popov told reporters she "couldn't stand" the day in the heat.
"It turns out that she couldn't stand a whole day out in the heat,"
"This is the first time I remember this happening. In Vladivostok, where we were training before this, the weather was similar. But humidity played a role here." Popov said.
Gomboeva's collapse comes amid growing fears about the heat in Tokyo during the games and how it could impact athletes. Tokyo is enduring its hottest time of the year, with temperatures rising above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity higher than 70%.
Even though the games have not even formally started, Gomboeva is not the first athlete to have been affected by the heat.