Tommy Macias has focused on the highlight of his career, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, over the past decade.
It was therefore a heavy blow when the pandemic paralyzed the sport and the championship was postponed.
But soon he began to enjoy time at home with his wife and two-year-old daughter.
When the judo competitions and the long journeys are now underway again, the European Championship gold medalist from 2019 has struggled with motivation.
When we talk, Macias is sitting restless in his hotel room in Uzbekistan, where he will be for a week, before a competition.
Love exercise just as much
- The motivation factor has not affected me at the training level, I train just as hard and still love to train as much.
It is precisely the trips that I do not think are as fun, he says.
Photo: SVT Grafik
SVT Sports' survey of Olympic-ready Swedes shows that Macias is not alone.
Almost half of those who responded to the survey state that their motivation decreased somewhat during the pandemic.
If the Olympics do not end this summer, the 28-year-old is pretty sure that his career is over.
- If the Olympics end, I will see how the desire is for, whether I want to do another or not.
But I still need to do it in a different way.
I could not be away as much as today but need more time with the family and feel more at home.
"I think I would be stuck in the same track"
Tommy Macias believes that the thoughts he has about his career today would be different without the pandemic.
- I think I would be stuck in the same track and mentality as before.
That an Olympic investment had no costs, that I would move forward all the time no matter what it cost me on a personal level.
But after being at home and seeing what it is like at home and having a different relationship with my family, it has changed my outlook on life.