In order to get to the Beijing Olympics, Tabitha Peterson and her teammates had to pass a pair of high-stakes tests. They handled both with sure hands and steady nerves, making their way to the Winter Games in women's curling by capturing a bronze medal at the world championships and winning the U.S. Olympic trials.
It's been a little harder to control their anxiety over their next big tests. Every day in Beijing, everyone on Team Peterson will have their throats swabbed to check for COVID-19, knowing a positive result could sweep them out of the Olympics and into an isolation facility.
"Since omicron has been spreading like crazy, we've been a little freaked out,'' said Peterson, of Eagan, Minn. "We're just like, 'Oh, my God. Do not get it.' It's always in the back of your mind.''
