Aust Olympic curler Gill cleared of COVID

Melissa Woods | February 1, 2022

Curler Tahli Gill is set to make Australian history this week after being cleared of COVID while four-time Olympian Britt Cox says the strict testing measures in Beijing made the Games a “safe haven”.

Gill and teammate Dean Hewitt, who are Australia’s first curling representatives, spent two days in isolation after she returned a positive test on arrival at Beijing Airport.

But negative results in follow-up tests have given Gill the green light.

The pair open their round robin mixed doubles campaign against the USA on Wednesday night, two days before the Games opening ceremony.

“We are greatly relieved as a team, that goes without saying,” the pair said in an AOC statement on Monday.

“But importantly for us both as a team, this experience is not going to define our Olympic campaign. 

“We have treated this time as a rest day and a time to really focus on our Olympic goals.

“We look forward to representing Australia with pride and making history for our sport.”

Gill contracted COVID a number of weeks ago while training in Canada and had tested negative before travel in line with Beijing Games Playbook protocols, indicating she was at the end of the infection cycle.

Fourth at the 2019 world championships, they are one of only 10 countries to have secured a spot in the mixed doubles at Beijing.

The curling competition will be held at the National Aquatics Centre – dubbed the Water Cube – which hosted the swimming events at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

With the Games being run inside a “closed loop”, Australian freestyle skiing veteran Cox welcomed the daily testing of athletes, team officials and the media.

“I actually think the bubble is excellent,” the 27-year-old said on Monday. 

“I feel really safe. I feel like the village is incredibly clean and healthy and I think the fact that every single person within the bubble is doing PCR tests every day gives me a lot of peace of mind. 

“I feel as though the bubble is kind of like our safe haven and it just allows us to focus on what we’re here for and that’s competing.”

Fellow moguls skier Jakara Anthony, who is a medal favourite, said that after spending the past four months travelling the globe surrounded by COVID infection she felt safest at the Olympics.

“I feel incredibly safe COVID-wise at these Games,” Anthony, 23, said.

“It’s probably the safest I’ve felt about COVID since we left Australia back in November – the Olympic organising committee have done incredible job.

“There’s excellent cleaning protocols, the mask wearing, the testing, I don’t think there could be anything else done to make it feel more safe.”