Olympics-COVID casts long shadow over New Zealand paddler Jones

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Canoe Slalom - Women's C1 - Heats - Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre, Tokyo, Japan - July 28, 2021. Luuka Jones of New Zealand in action REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

(Reuters) - The Paris Olympics will be free of the strict COVID-19 restrictions that overshadowed the Tokyo and Beijing Games but New Zealand canoe slalom trailblazer Luuka Jones might be forgiven for taking extra precautions with her health.

The 35-year-old's ambitions of reaching a fifth Olympics once seemed fanciful as she spent more than a year recovering after being diagnosed with long COVID in early-2022.