- Lisa Weightman is believed to be overlooked for the Paris Olympics
- Three places available for the marathon, six Australian women have qualified
- Sinead Diver, Genevieve Gregson and Jess Stenson are likely to compete
- Weightman’s husband attacked Stenson over old photo on social media
The husband of Australian marathon runner Lisa Weightman has started a social media war ahead of the Paris Olympics after accusing one of his wife’s rivals of leaving his family “heartbroken”.
Weightman’s husband, Lachlan McArthur, is outraged that Athletics Australia selectors could overlook his wife, despite recording the third-fastest time in the qualifying period.
It is understood the three Australian runners who will be selected to compete in Paris are Sinead Diver, Genevieve Gregson and Jessica Stenson.
The development led an excited McArthur to criticize Stenson (née Trengove) for having an existing photo with Weightman and her family on her X profile as a display image.
The image was not published recently and was also taken a few years ago.
The husband of Australian marathoner Lisa Weightman (left) has started a social media war ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Lisa Weightman is believed to be overlooked in selection for the Games, prompting her husband to criticize rival Jess Stenson for an old background photo on her X page, showing the two runners after a marathon event (pictured, above).
Australian men’s marathon national record holder Brett Robinson called McArthur ‘mean’ for his online attack
Jess Stenson’s (nee Trengove) place in the team is tipped to be secure, having won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham two years ago.
‘@JessTrengove, could you write down the background photo of my family?
“By the way, this was after one of @LisaWeightman’s all-time 7-1 wins,” McArthur wrote in a since-deleted post.
He wasn’t done yet, and he later publicly thanked Stenson for removing the image that showed the two athletes, as well as McArthur and his son.
‘Thank you @JessTrengove for removing the photo. It is very much appreciated. “Here we have a heartbroken family.”
Australian men’s marathon national record holder Brett Robinson called McArthur “mean” for his online behavior, to which McArthur responded: “I thanked Jess for taking the photo down.”
“I shouldn’t have directed my frustrations at her, but I really appreciate them taking the photo down. We have a heartbroken family.”
Weightman, a four-time Olympian and two-time Commonwealth Games medallist, is expected to appeal if she is overlooked by selectors.
Stenson’s place is secure, having won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham two years ago.
Weightman ran the third-fastest time in the qualifying period, 2:23:15 behind Gregson’s 2:23:08 and Diver’s 2:21:34, but ahead of Izzi Batt-Doyle (2:23:27 ), Stenson (2:24:01) and Eloise Wellings (2:25:47).
Stenson also competed just six months after having her second child.
After the ugly online dispute, McArthur deleted his social media account on X.
