Former college basketball star Canyon Barry isn’t the only Olympian who has to balance 9-to-5 work with preparation for Paris.
But Barry, a hoops scion with a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s in nuclear engineering, was probably the only Team USA athlete giving a high-level work presentation from Mongolia at 2 a.m. — the afternoon back home in Florida — last month while he was also getting ready for the Olympics.
“It’s definitely a grind at times,” Barry, who plays 3×3, said in an interview that started 30 minutes behind schedule … because he had to take a work call. “I’m so fortunate [my employers] are willing to work with me. That’s part of the Olympic spirit to do whatever you can try to succeed and pursue that dream.”
Scores of elite athletes have to put on their work boots before they lace up sneakers to run down Olympic aspirations. Sports psychologist Mark Aoyagi said the laboring athletes face …