TOKYO — Virginia Fuchs smashes her fist into her opponent’s skull. Sweat, and sometimes blood, flies as the athletes punch one another over and over again. Eventually the bout ends. Then the fight begins.
Fuchs, 33, has severe obsessive compulsive disorder, characterized by a fear of contamination. Her condition would be a challenge for a human in the easiest of circumstances. And life as an Olympic boxer is not the easiest of circumstances.
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Take brushing her teeth, for example. First, she dons gloves and uses soap and water to wash the exterior of her mouth.