Mayo athlete selected for Paris Olympics
Sinéad Diver will travel to the Paris Olympics as the fastest Australian and Irish women's marathon runner of all time.
After one of the most intense selection contests for this year’s Paris Olympics, the Australian Olympic Committee has announced its marathon team with the inclusion of Mayo woman Sinéad Diver.
The 47-year-old is as the Australian record holder and will return for her second Games after her 10th place in Tokyo, which was the best Olympic finish by an Australian woman in more than 30 years.
The Olympic marathon entry standard for women is 2:26:50 and in January 2023, the Belmullet native set a new national record of 2.21.34.
Diver said that having family cheering her on would make Paris even more special.
“This means so much to me. It’s an honour to represent Australia for a second time at the Olympics,” she said. “My first experience was very special but I’m hoping that this one will top it as I can share it with family and friends.
“Having my kids there means the world to me, they are so excited about getting to Paris and they’re at the age where they’ll remember this forever,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I learned a lot from my Tokyo prep and again from my build leading into the Australian record, so I’m hoping to take these learnings to be in even better shape for Paris. I was so proud to place tenth in Tokyo, but as athletes we’re never content to stay at the same level, we want to continually improve. I’m going to focus on what I can control and get myself into the best shape possible.”
Sinéad Diver is a member of Glenhuntley AC in Melbourne where she is coached by Nic Bideau. She is also a current Mayo AC member and has been registered with the club since 2014. Sinéad is the fastest Irish-born all-time women’s marathon runner.
The Paris Olympics Athletics schedule runs from Thursday August 1 to Sunday August 11. The women’s marathon will bring a fortnight of intense emotions to a close on the final day.
