Sinead Diver has broken her silence after the Australian veteran heartbreakingly withdrew from the Olympic marathon.
Australian national record holder Diver, 47, dropped out of the women’s race after just 1.2 kilometres. Disturbing footage shows the runner doubled over the barriers along the course.
It was later revealed that Diver had been suffering from a foot problem before the race, but an unrelated quadriceps spasm hampered her chances.
“I am absolutely devastated that I had to pull out of my second Olympics. I suffered from a plantar fasciitis leading up to this race. It was manageable and I trained, was fit and ready to race. That had nothing to do with why I pulled out,” she wrote on Instagram.
‘During the warm-up, my quads started spasming without warning. I was hoping it would go away once I started running, but it didn’t. They locked up within the first kilometer to the point where I couldn’t bend my knees. I don’t really understand what’s causing this.’
Diver also spoke candidly about the “challenging” run-up to the race, having faced criticism online over her sole problem.
A major dispute arose prior to the Olympics when decorated runner Lisa Weightman was overlooked by officials.
Diver was the first choice of the three selected athletes, but rumours of an injury led to calls to replace her with an emergency runner.
Sinead Diver has broken her silence on what went wrong at the Olympics
The 47-year-old had to withdraw from the marathon after just 1.2km of the race
‘The lead up to this race has been one of the most challenging times of my life. The vitriol online has had a significant impact on my mental health and I have no doubt that it has played a part in my body breaking down in the way it has,’ she added.
The stress of the past few weeks has finally taken its toll.
“I am aware of the negative comments during and after the race, but this time I am not going to listen to them. This is what happened. If you choose not to believe it, then so be it.
“Thank you to everyone who has shown kindness, empathy, and sent messages of support to recognize that we are all human and sometimes things happen that are beyond our control, no matter how hard we try.”
Three-time Australian Olympic athlete Tamsyn Manou (née Lewis) expressed her shock when commentating on the event on Nine.
“I feel for Sinead Diver in this situation because she has worked so hard and she has earned this place by being our fastest athlete, there is no doubt about that,” said Manou.
Their compatriots Jess Stenson and Genevieve Gregson completed the marathon in 13th and 24th place respectively.