Tokyo 2021: We laughed, we cried, we chose an Olympic sport we reckon we’d be good at while sitting on the couch eating cheese platters and day drinking white wines. Meanwhile, our 10 News First team was working tirelessly on the ground to bring us all the latest news from Olympic HQ.
Back on home soil and fresh out of hotel quarantine, The Water Cooler caught up with reporters Dan Sutton and Natasha Exelby, producer Brendan Shakes and camera operators Chris Newport and Peter Tumini.
Editor’s Note: Brendan Shakes takes out the Gold for doing a bonus two-week quarantine in order to return to Adelaide. WE SALUTE YOU, BRENDAN.
What were your highlights from your time at the Tokyo Olympics?
Dan: Being able to leave the country (albeit under tight restrictions) was an absolute privilege. Cheering into my mask while watching Peter Bol compete for Australia in the 800m final IN PERSON. Having a great team of colleagues to rely on (both on the ground and back in the Sydney office).
Peter: It was my first time experiencing an Olympics and despite all the strict COVID measures I still had the best time and enjoyed every moment. Also, it was great to see the men’s hockey gold medal match, as I knew some of the players. Working with a great team was another highlight for me. It was a lot of fun working with Dan, Natasha, Brendan and Chris. I learnt a lot and we all worked well together.
Brendan: Being in the stadium when high jumpers from Italy and Qatar decided to share the men’s gold medal. It was more memorable than the 100m final that happened that same night. Also Familymart. People who have been to Japan will understand.
Chris: Being able to experience shooting in Tokyo Japan… it is one of, if not the best cities in the world to film or take photos in. Everywhere you look there is something cool to see. The friendships and bonds formed among not only our 10 Team (who were all legends), but also our fixers and drivers we worked with. It was just a great crew who all got along and hopefully this was evident in the content we produced for our viewers back home in Australia.
Natasha: The Olympics is the first good news story I’ve reported on in 18 months. Going to Tokyo, I was certain our coverage would be about the COVID mayhem, but it wasn’t. It was about extraordinary people achieving gobsmacking feats.
What surprised you the most?
Dan: That my prediction of a COVID-doomed Games was (happily) wrong. The Japanese organisers did an incredible job and the Australian team was a joy to watch in action.
Chris: The athletes still managed to put on a fantastic show, broke world records and PB’s without any crowds or people in the stands cheering them on.
Peter: The thing that surprised me the most was that there was no major COVID outbreak in the athletes’ village, which could have caused the games to be disrupted. Despite all the concerns, Tokyo managed to do a great job.
Natasha: I was certain there would be a serious COVID outbreak in the village. It proved that with high vaccination rates and COVID safe protocols, the world is capable of opening up and coming together. That gives me great hope for the future.
You’ve had to quarantine upon your return. First of all, we salute you! Second, how on earth did you do it? What got you through?
Chris: Being in quarantine wasn’t actually as bad as I was expecting. The one thing that helped me get through was the daily coffee and treat deliveries from my mates in the Camera department and the News room. These little care deliveries helped give me something to look forward to each day! I am most appreciative to all involved!
Dan: The secret for me was making sure EVERYONE knew my hotel name and room number. It resulted in a continuous supply of coffee and treat deliveries from friends and the 10 family. The boss even dropped off pastries on his morning walk.
Peter: I got through hotel quarantine by sticking to a routine each day. My mornings consisted of making daily TikTok videos (they can be found on my Instagram highlights). After lunch I would watch movies and take a nap. I then did a one- hour workout, which included time on an exercise bike that I hired. After dinner I watched more movies until I fell asleep. The bakery runs from Ross and coffee drops from the Sydney team also helped.
Brendan: Only 10 more days to go… I think. Keeping yourself busy helps take your mind off the constant feeling of being trapped. One thing that made it easier was Peter’s daily TikToks.
Natasha: The Sydney newsroom took great care of us with the morning coffee fairies and random treats left at our door. Even though our team was out of sight, we weren’t out of mind. Studio 10 dropping off some dumbbells for me was a genius move.
