(Reuters) – U.S. Women’s 3×3 basketball player Katie Lou Samuelson said she was devastated after being forced to pull out of the Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 test, despite being fully vaccinated.
USA Basketball said on Monday that Samuelson was placed under their health and safety protocols at the weekend, with Jackie Young taking her place in the squad alongside Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray and Kelsey Plum.
“I am devastated to share that after getting sick with COVID-19, I will not be able to go and compete in Tokyo,” she wrote on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CRhE5CTrhtw.
“Competing in the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and I hope someday soon, I can come back to realize that dream. I am especially heartbroken as I am fully vaccinated and took every precaution.”
3×3 basketball is making its Olympic debut in Tokyo. The three-a-side event runs from July 24-28.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet)
