A second Utah-connected athlete tests COVID positive at the Olympics

Men's beach volleyball. Photo: Odd Fellow

TOKYO, Japan. — A second Olympian with ties to Utah has tested positive for COVID-19. KSL Channel 5 reports that the rise in COVID-19 cases among members of the U.S. delegation for the Tokyo Summer Olympics may force a Salt Lake Valley native to scramble to find an alternate teammate.

University of Utah gymnast Kara Eaker, an alternate, also tested positive yesterday.

KSL reports that U.S. beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb tested positive for the virus Tuesday, as first reported by the Orange County (OC) Register, and will likely miss the Olympics.

That would leave Bountiful native Jake Gibb without a partner. It’s being reported that Crabb has departed Japan for his home state of Hawaii. Jake Gibb, 45,  has partnered with Crabb for four years. 

The situation is “terrible,” and his brother is “fine and healthy and should be allowed to play, in my personal opinion,” said Crabb’s brother Trevor, to NBC4 News, Los Angeles.

But the OC Register reported that Gibb, a University of Utah graduate who has competed on the AVP pro beach tour with stops that include his home region of Salt Lake City, was seen practicing alone in Tokyo hours after one plane representing USA Volleyball had been detained upon arrival in Tokyo.