08/04/2021 12:02 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 08/04/2021 12:02 AM
The Brazilian volleyball player
Lucas Saatkamp
, who surprised at these Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by wearing a mask in the middle of the game, confessed that he did not make that decision to send an awareness message to society, but rather to
protect his family.
With
a five-year-old son in need of an inhaler
for respiratory problems awaiting his return to Brazil, the last thing the 35-year-old,
known as Lucão
,
wants
is to put himself, his wife and his newborn daughter at risk.
"
I don't want to be an example
for wearing a chinstrap. My only goal is to protect myself and my family," he explained on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Lucão said that he was infected with coronavirus last January, when he suffered from
fever and headache
, although without other serious symptoms.
Despite having already suffered from the disease and having been vaccinated before traveling to the Olympics, she decided to wear a mask anyway.
Lucão assured that he
does not know if his determination generated praise or criticism
, because he does not spend a lot of time reading articles on the internet nor does he usually see social networks.
Meanwhile, he maintained that the mask
does not affect his performance on the court
, where he has helped Brazil reach the semifinals in his third Olympic appearance, after hanging silver in 2012 and gold five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.
"For me it's fine, because volleyball is different from other sports. There are more breaks to take a break, unlike athletics or soccer.
It is not uncomfortable for me
," he said.
Lucão is not the only Brazilian volleyball star who plays with a mask.
His teammate
Mauricio Borges
, a regular substitute at this Olympic event, also competes with a mask, as did his compatriot
Macris Carneiro
, the setter of the women's team, before injuring his ankle in a victory over Japan.
For his part, captain
Bruno Rezende
stated that it would be impossible for him to use a chinstrap due to the role he plays in the team, although he remarked that he respects his teammates: "For me it is a bit difficult.
I try to motivate a lot and talk a lot with my teammates
and It's not easy to do that with the mask. It's impossible for me to use it. I respect him a lot. They have their reasons. "
As for Brazil's participation in Tokyo, they already defeated Japan in straight sets on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals, where they will face
Russia's Olympic Committee
, which beat
Canada
.
DB
Look also
Tokyo 2020: Rubén Rézola Voisard entered the semi-finals of the K1 200 canoeing
Tokyo 2020: Cecilia Biagioli, the first Argentine to compete in five Olympic Games
