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For aspiring Kiwi Olympian Callum Gilbert, living in lockdown won't mean being completely shut away from hissport.
The canoe slalom exponent will spend the next month in isolation living on the edge of Lake Rotoiti, east of Rotorua, meaning he will be able to paddle off his doorstep.
And — in a situation fairly unique across New Zealand sport — Gilbert always works with his coach Paul Macdermid remotely, with their relationship completely online, so they will continue their modus operandi.
Like most Kiwi athletes, Gilbert was philosophical about Tuesday's confirmation that the 2020 Olympics would be postponed for up to one year, due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus worldwide.
A fortnight earlier the 24-year-old was thrilled to be named, alongside Luuka Jones, in the canoe slalom team for the Olympics, but that dream will now be on ice.
"I always knew [postponement] was on the cards so the news was not a huge surprise," Gilbert told the Herald. "I'll change the preparation plan and still prepare to be the best I can be for whenever they decide to hold it."
In practical terms, it will probably mean a long block of winter training here, missing the European summer season for the first time in seven years.
The current shutdown period means possibilities are limited for most athletes, though Gilbert has more options than most.
Canoe Slalom athlete Callum Gilbert was selected to the New Zealand Olympic team for Tokyo 2020, before the Games were postponed.
He is spending the isolation period in his parents' lake house on the remote shores of Lake Rotoiti, and anticipates being able to spend at least some time in his canoe, given the secluded nature of the area.
But the main advantage is that his coaching arrangement essentially stays the same.
"We will be able to continue our relationship basically as if nothing changed," said Gilbert. "It's already all online anyway."
A former paddler for Great Britain, MacDermid is a lecturer at Massey University and a sports physiologist and Gilbert says their unusual dynamic, where they analyse footage and discuss technique over the phone, is ideal.
"I like to be in my own space at lot of the time, so being on the water alone can be beneficial to me," said Gilbert. "Not being able to see the coach I don't see as an issue. In a lot of ways it's beneficial because he can be at home and unaffected by what is going on, especially in the current environment."
Canoe slalom receives some funding from High Performance Sport New Zealand, but there is "never enough" to cover all the costs of travelling, competing and training.
Gilbert is also waiting to find out if his Olympic Solidarity scholarship (funded by the IOC) will be extended for another 12 months.
He gave up his job as a software engineer at Fisher and Paykel healthcare two years ago to focus on his sporting endeavours, but may now have to return to work.
"I've done contract work before," said Gilbert. "Now we have more time I'm going to be looking to get back into doing some work. Though that is going to be really tricky to find in the next few months, given the situation."
