KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Olympic gymnast Leanne Wong has returned home to Blue Springs after she was quarantined in Tokyo as a precaution against COVID-19.
Fellow replacement athlete Kara Eaker tested positive for COVID-19 10 days ago, and because the pair had some contact, Wong was quarantined too.
Wong continued to test negative for the virus through her quarantine, she told KSHB 41 News Thursday.
Despite that, it was difficult to get home, she said.
"It was a struggle to get out of quarantine in Japan even though I had always tested negative," Wong said.
Neither Wong or Eaker had much hope of competing after Eaker's positive test, but Wong said she is proud of her Team USA teammates who did get their chance to shine.
"I am so proud of my teammates who stepped up under a tremendous amount of pressure and finished strong with a Silver team medal," Wong told KSHB 41 News.
Eaker is also from Blue Springs. Both women trained at GAGE Center.
There's no word if Eaker is coming home or has made it home already, though she did make a post to Instagram Wednesday.
"It’s been fun Japan, but I’m ready to go home!" she wrote.
Wong on Thursday also commended Simone Biles for her action at the 2020 Toyko Olympic Games.
Biles pulled out of the team and individual all-around competitions for concerns over her mental well-being.
"Simone is an amazing athlete. She really encouraged her teammates and told them “they have been training their whole lives for this," Wong said.
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