Daily routine: Five things to do - 25 April 2020
From a figure skating special to home workouts, here's five things to keep you busy this Saturday.
Bored at home in isolation and finding yourself at a loose end?
As the world continues to work on containing the Covid-19 outbreak, Olympic Channel has found another five things to do from the comfort of your own home that will keep you happy, healthy and entertained.
For starters, you must definitely not miss today's launch of the latest episodes of our gymnastics documentary All Around featuring Morgan Hurd, Angelina Melnikova and Chen Yile, three of the world's top gymnasts.
You can check out episode number nine here.
And if you want to find out how the three feel about the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics you need to watch episode ten.
Hungry for more? We've got you covered. You can enjoy episodes one through eight right here.
- Keep fit with King James
All you need is some resistance bands to keep fit with this home workout that LeBron James has been doing.
LeBron, a double Olympic champion with Team USA, has been keeping his core strength up even while the NBA season is suspended.
And you can find a whole range of other Olympians' home workouts here.
- Watch the 'Open Ice' figure skating benefit fundraiser
Today at 2:00 pm Eastern Time (7 pm in London; 3:00 am in Tokyo), Canadian ice dancer Kaitlyn Weaver will host a special figure skating-themed talk show to raise funds for the United Nations Foundation Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Weaver, a two-time Olympian, will virtually welcome figure skating stars from her New York City home on the Open Ice fundraiser.
"The great thing about our skating community is, all competition aside, we’re one big family," Weaver told NBC Sports.
"I reached out, and I asked the question. If I didn’t have a phone number, I got one. This is a time where people are wanting to engage and help."
Among the guests are Olympic champions Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, and Olympic medallists Nathan Chen, Adam Rippon, Brian Orser, Javier Fernández, and Carolina Kostner.
Open Ice will be live on the International Skating Union's YouTube channel.
The donation page can be found here. More information on the event is available here.
- Catch up with more figure skating news
The season might be over in figure skating and athletes are locked down in various countries, but the world of figure skating never truly stops.
Young Russian star and European champion Alena Kostornaia has been speaking to Sportbox about her aims, which she says are unlike those of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic gold and silver medallists.
"I’m not chasing titles like Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva did," she said, according to a translation by Russia Today.
"It was very important for Alina to collect all the possible titles that existed in figure skating. Zhenya, who finished second at the Olympics, continues skating to prove she can still be number one.
"My top goal is to perform at the Winter Games. I’d be happy if I managed to make it to the national squad. Of course I want to win, but losing at the Olympics […] would not be tragedy for me."
Meanwhile, Medvedeva's coach Brian Orser spoke exclusively to the Olympic Channel yesterday about her current break from competition, as well as about double Olympic champ Hanyu Yuzuru.
Speaking about Medvedeva, Orser said: "I think she's had a realisation that she needed to give her body a rest, I think she appreciates this break right now. A lot of athletes will be missing the training, will be missing the process, and I know she's at that stage right now, that she misses it, and you need to step away from [the sport] to understand that."
You can find out what Orser said about Hanyu by watching the full interview below.
- Focus on yourself
Just because you're cooped up at home doesn't mean you can't enjoy the little things, such as focusing on yourself mentally and physically.
Others aren't so lucky to be able to do so, whether it's because of work, illness, or ability. Australia's Rio 2016 silver medallist swimmer Madeline Groves knows this better than most.
The 24-year-old suffers from two serious conditions affecting her uterus, which causes her pain she described like "being stabbed in the uterus and someone is very slowly twisting that knife" to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Incredibly, it could have been worse for her, as she had a pre-cancerous cervical tumour discovered and removed before non-urgent surgeries were cancelled in her state.
"It sucks to be away from training and my squad but I’m grateful I’ve been able to focus on my health," she wrote on social media.
- Watch our social media round-up
Our weekly social media round-up, The Lowdown, brings you the best of athletes on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter from the past week you might have missed.
If you're looking for a light-hearted and funny look back at the week that was on social media, this is the place to be.