Roger Federer. Photo: VCG

Though there remain some sports events ongoing during the coronavirus pandemic, the impact of COVID-19 remains huge, as athletes have to train on their own thanks to the social distancing rule. 

World widely, major sporting events have been postponed or canceled, including football's flagship European Championships and quadrennial multi-sport feast Olympic Games being delayed for a year. 

For some Olympic athletes, the delay means an extra year to prepare. But it might be a bit tough for elder Olympians, who are trying to prove "age is just a number," whose sporting capabilities to decline are inevitable. Here we picked up several veterans that face such a dilemma.

Athletics - Justin Gatlin

The 2004 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in men's 100 meters is already 38 and had planned to compete at the 2020 Olympics. He will turn 39 when Tokyo 2020 was held in 2021. 

After finishing second in the men's 100 meters at the World Championships in Doha last year, he has set his sights on winning another gold medal as his major career rival Usain Bolt has quit sprinting for good in 2017. 

His silver medal at the 2019 worlds has made him the most decorated - record of five individual 100m medals, surpassing Bolt's haul of four - 100m sprinter in World Championships history.

Badminton - Lin Dan

Once-dominating "Super Dan" will turn 37 this year and his form has dropped a lot recently as fans have started to call him "First-round Lin" for his early eliminations from events. But his hopes for a fifth Olympic appearance remain alive as he still got time to grab the qualifying points for the Games.  

Already a two-time Olympic singles champion in 2008 and 2012, Lin suffered an emotional defeat to rival Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the semifinals and then new-generation ace Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the bronze medal match. 

The one-year postponement might be tough for Lin but as ambitious as he is, you never know what will he achieve.

Basketball - Pau Gasol

Spain's basketball legend Pau Gasol, turning 40 this summer, has said he's hoping to play for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics, culminating his glittering career by representing the four-time Olympic medalists.

The delay has given Gasol enough time to heal his foot injury as he prepares for his fifth Olympics when he will be 41. Historically, basketballers Teo Cruz of Puerto Rico, Oscar Schmidt of Brazil, Andrew Gaze of Australia, and Gasol's compatriot Juan Carlos Navarro have played in five Olympics.

But Spain got a deep talent pool, as the team won a FIBA World Cup in China last year with a squad Gasol not involved. He must remain at the high competitive level if he wants to be included in the country's roster for the Olympics in 2021. 

Golf - Tiger Woods

The Olympics organizers will be happy to see if Tiger Wood will be in Tokyo chasing for a gold medal. The 15-time major winner - ­second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18 - is still one of the marquee names in the sport through recovering from a back injury.

He won the Masters at Augusta in April 2019 for his 15th major, but it was his first major win since the US Open in 2008. 

Woods, now 44, will be inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame next year, after the age of entry of the Hall of Fame was lowered from 50 to 45. But at the age of 45 in 2021, Woods might be unlikely to make the cut. He has already started to reduce his competing schedule, but the eligibility for the Olympics of each country is determined by the world ranking about a month before the start of the Games. 

Gymnastics - Oksana Chusovitina

Uzbek female gymnast Oksana Chusovitina has qualified for her eighth Olympics, breaking her own record in the sport.

From a 13-year-old girl who won Soviet Union junior nationals to now a 44-year-old mother, Chusovitina has competed for the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan, and Germany, winning one Olympic gold medal in 1992 in a team representing the ex-Soviet states and three World Championships golds. 

Chusovitina, a vault specialist, has considered retirement after previous Olympics but chose to stay on. Competing at an elite level since the 1980s, long before most of her current gymnasts were born, she has become a role model and inspiration for younger generations in this sport.

Swimming - Ryan Lochte 

The Tokyo Olympics was meant to be a comeback and final chance for US swimmer Ryan Lochte, who returns to competition in mid-2019 after a 14-month suspension due to receiving a "prohibited intravenous infusion." Now the 12-time Olympic gold medalist has said he is 100 percent to take part in the Olympics next year when he would be 37.

An appearance in Tokyo would also prove the veteran athlete has recovered from the Lochetgate - an alcohol-fueled incident with police during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. His most recent results included a fourth finish in the 400 meters individual medley at the TYR Pro Swim Series in March.

Table tennis - Vladimir Samsonov

The Belarusian veteran was a semifinalist in the sport that was dominated by the Chinese during the Rio Olympics. He has consecutively competed at the Olympics since 1996. His early-day opponents from China, including Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui, have already started their coaching careers, cultivating a new generation of paddlers the Belarusian legend has to face.

Though having not won a gold medal in the singles at the World Championships nor the Olympics, Samsonov, now 44, has enjoyed a respected reputation in China and table tennis world for his all-round skills and relentless efforts on the court.

Tennis - Roger Federer

Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer has collected as many Grand Slam titles as he can, but there is still one honor that eluded him - the Olympic gold medal in men's singles.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner is an Olympic gold medalist after winning the doubles gold with compatriot Stan Wawrinka in Beijing 2008. Missing Rio Olympics due to injury after a final defeat at the 2012 London final, the court in Tokyo is likely to be Federer's last chance to rewrite his Olympic record, when he is to compete at the age of 40. 

Volleyball - Ding Xia

As the defending champions of the women's volleyball at the Olympics, China's heroic team faces an aging problem for the Olympics, including starting setter Ding Xia, who will be 31 when Tokyo Games starts next year.

Though Ding is not the eldest in the team, she is one of the key players in the team who won an FIVB World Cup last year. Ding was also named the tournament's best setter.

Though younger players have started to fill in the shoes of the volleyball team squad, Ding remains a regular starter, which indicates the importance of her on the court - China's head coach Lang Ping was also a setter during her player career in the 1980s.
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