'Home workouts not as beneficial as field training'

As coronavirus affects the routines of billions of people worldwide, athletes are no exception. Turkey's Cuban-born sprinter Yasmani Copello Escobar says he is continuing with his workouts at home but they are not the same as field training.

Escobar told Anadolu Agency that he is unable to achieve efficiency by running on a small track.

"There is a small running track near my place, which does not allow me to run at full speed," he said on Tuesday. "Hence, I also try to continue training with the weight equipment sent by the federation."

Escobar said that although the coronavirus pandemic led to social distancing, it had some benefits as well.

"Air and sea pollution has decreased, we can say that the world is renewing itself," he said. "After all we are the ones who harm the environment... should definitely take a lesson from all this."

The 33-year-old athlete clinched his spot for the Summer Olympics 2020 after meeting the threshold in 400m hurdles in the French leg of the Diamond League.

The Tokyo 2020 games, however, have been postponed until next year.

The virus that first appeared in China late last year has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, with the U.S. being the hardest-hit.