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Questions asked after Aussie runner breaks down just 1km into women's marathon at Olympics

Marathon runner Sinead Diver was left devastated on the final day of competition at the Olympics.

andrew reid
·4-min read

Sinead Diver's devastating withdrawal from the women's marathon at the Olympics has reignited an ugly selection storm for the Australian team before the Paris Games. Diver only lasted a tick over one kilometre of the marathon before having to withdraw with severe cramps, leaving Jess Stenson (13th) and Genevieve Gregson (24th) as the only two Aussie women to finish the race.

While Stenson was the best-placed of the Australian runners in Paris, her spot in Australia's Olympic Team came under massive scrutiny before the Games after four-time Olympian Lisa Weightman ran a faster qualification time. Stenson won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games but didn't post as good a qualification time as Weightman, with her 2:24:01 coming at the challenging South Korean Daegu marathon and only six months after giving birth to her second child.

Pictured left is Sinead Diver at the Paris Olympics and Lisa Weightman on the right.
Sinead Diver's withdrawal from the women's marathon (L) at the Paris Olympics reignited debate about Lisa Weightman's (R) controversial selection snub for Australia. Pic: Nine/Getty

But selectors opted to take Stenson regardless, with Weightman failing in her appeal to have the decision overturned despite posting the third-fastest time of the Aussies. The ugly saga sparked social media backlash between Weightman's husband and Stenson and even led to Australian Olympic legend Sally Pearson questioning "the integrity of Athletics Australia".

Following Diver's dramatic withdrawal from the marathon in Paris, Weightman's name was again thrust into the spotlight as questions were raised about the fitness of Diver in the lead-up to the race. Diver is the Australian record holder and the 47-year-old had high hopes coming into Paris after finishing 10th on her Games debut three years ago in Tokyo. But the veteran had been suffering with plantar fasciitis in the build-up, although Australian high performance boss Andrew Faichney insists her withdrawal from the marathon was unrelated to the pre-existing heel problem.

"I am comfortable with the decision to race, she was in the team camp medical and she and the medical team cleared her to run," Faichney said. "Today was completely unrelated to the plantar fasciitis in her right foot. She cramped in both quads and it started before the race. So obviously for her to have to finish so soon it was extreme (cramping)."

Weightman was Australia’s reserve for Sunday’s marathon and Aussie track great Tamsyn Manou admitted all eyes would be on the nation's other runners in Paris with the selection controversy still fresh in mind. “You can tell no matter what is unfolding in the race, we’re obviously going to watch Gen Gregson and Jessica Stenson carefully... there’s going to be a lot said in the community of running back home," Manou said on Nine's coverage.

On the left is Aussie marathon runner Jess Stenson and Lisa Weightman on the right.
Jess Stenson (left) was the best-placed Aussie in the women's marathon (13th) at the Paris Olympics after her controversial selection ahead of Lisa Weightman (right). Pic: Getty

And fellow commentator Gerard Whateley warned that Diver’s withdrawal could open a “Pandora’s box” after questioning whether Weightman could have been brought in to run in Paris, amid the fitness concerns around Diver. “The fact we had one runner unfortunately not make it past the first 1.5km is opening so many questions that, to be honest, unless we get the right answer, it’s got a question mark on what’s been an unbelievable campaign for Australia,” Whateley said.

“There are questions around Sinead Diver’s participation in this event and what the alternatives might have been. There is a flow of information in the weeks leading up to this marathon that raises concerns about her preparedness for the race, and the possibility of a foot injury. This is all to be investigated, and it is all to be confirmed or otherwise, but there is a level of accountability that obviously sits over this right now.”

Diver's teammate Gregson, speaking after her 24th-placed finish in the marathon, was quick to praise the veteran runner's resilience in the wake of her Olympics heartbreak. "I know that in the last few days she was not having the most ideal prep," Gregson admitted. "When we were all gathered in the callroom we had a big hug and just said 'whatever you do out there today, we're going to be so proud of you'."

with AAP