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Zaakirah Mujid Zaakirah Mujid BVM Sports Digital Specialist/Journalist

Olympian Priscilla Frederick cleans houses by day, battles effects of COVID-19 by night to get to Tokyo

WILDWOOD, N.J. (BVM) — Track and field high jump Olympian Priscilla Frederick-Loomis is not letting anything stop her — including finances and contracting COVID-19 — from the chance to qualify for her second summer Olympics.

The Tokyo Games hopeful for Antigua and Barbuda is financing her journey mostly herself: she cleans houses for her small business, manages her podcast/YouTube channel and, most recently on March 8, became the co-host for New Jersey’s 98.7. But back in January, Frederick-Loomis contracted COVID-19 and now, two months later, she’s still dealing with the lingering effects of the virus. 

“I was so scared because of the chest pains, I thought I’d have to be forced into retirement before the Tokyo Olympics,” Frederick-Loomis said. “Everyone said ‘you’re an athlete so you’ll bounce back.’ But [it’s been almost two months since] I recovered from the virus but I’m just not at 100% yet which is why I’m currently wearing a chest monitor.”

Doctors have told the 32-year-old to take it easy but she only sees that as the problem. She has set her sights on winning gold ever since she placed top 30 in the world at the 2016 Olympics. 

The Tokyo Olympics is fast approaching and Priscilla Frederick-Loomis is training to get back to the top of her game after a rough start to 2021. (Credit: Julian Troncoso)

“Resting is something I don’t do since in the world of sports it’s either you’re number one or nothing in a sense,” Frederick-Loomis said. “The conversation with my cardiologist was ‘you need to take away that Olympic mindset,’ however, patience is not a virtue I was blessed with.” 

It’s no surprise that Frederick-Loomis is still training and working on multiple projects to fund her dream. She is completely hands-on for her business called Flawless Cleaning Service, Home Cleaning & Organization. She bookkeeps, reaches out to clients, does home visits and cleans just about anything herself. 

“People trust me into their homes because I use the picture of me at the Olympics,” Frederick-Loomis said, “so they know if something happens that they can find me. Becoming an entrepreneur has led me on one of the most incredible journeys and this business is my baby.” 

At the same time, Frederick-Loomis is also crowdfunding through GoFundMe to raise a little extra support. She stated she “can’t just go to McDonalds to eat a cheap meal … everything needs to be home cooked.” The money is also helping her to pay for supplements, sneakers, travel and facility fees.  

“I may not be signed with a huge sneaker deal but the 50 plus people around the country who have donated are my sponsorship,” Frederick-Loomis said. “I know this is my dream and no one told me I needed to do this. I’m very grateful for people especially during these times to give out of their pockets.” 

The Olympian wants to set an example for young female athletes to never give up on their dreams. (Credit: Dina Rosa)

With the postponed 2020 Olympics just about four months away, Frederick-Loomis said she is “two million percent ready to qualify and become a national champion when the time comes.” It’s been a rough start to the year because of her health which is why she likes to look back at past videos of her competitions. 

“I know I’m a badass and I will have that same Olympic mindset no matter what life throws at me,” Frederick-Loomis said. “I had a moment but I bounced back. [I look back at different videos of me jumping] and I was just so carefree.” 

After this summer Frederick-Loomis still has no plans to slow down. The St. John’s broadcasting graduate said she always had big dreams of going to auditions. She mentioned there is a possibility she will compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics, otherwise, she will retire this year. She will only do another Summer Olympics if she can get a big sponsorship to help with finances. 

“It won’t stop here and I won’t take it easy,” she said. “I want to go to stunt school, act in movies — there’s so much I haven’t accomplished yet. Being able to be this resilient so far, I’m ready for all the challenges ahead.”