Sinead Diver has broken her silence following the Australian veteran’s heartbreaking withdrawal from the Olympic marathon.
Australian national record holder Diver, 47, pulled out of the women’s race after just 1.2 kilometres, and worrying footage shows the runner doubled over crowd barriers at the side of the course.
It was later revealed that Diver had been struggling with a plantar problem before the race, but an unrelated quadriceps spasm hampered his chances.
“I am absolutely devastated to have had to withdraw from my second Olympics. I was dealing with a problem with the sole of my foot in preparation for this race. It was manageable and I was training, fit and ready to compete. That had nothing to do with why I withdrew,” she wrote on Instagram.
“During the warm-up, my quads started to spasm without warning. I was hoping they would resolve themselves when I started running, but they didn’t and they seized up within the first mile to the point where I couldn’t bend my knees. I don’t fully understand what caused this.”
Diver also spoke about the “challenging” preparation for the race, which saw her exposed to online criticism stemming from reports of her plantar problem.
A major controversy erupted ahead of the Olympics when officials overlooked decorated runner Lisa Weightman.
Diver was the first choice of the three athletes selected, but injury rumours led to calls for her to be replaced by an emergency rider.
Sinead Diver has broken her silence on what went wrong at the Olympics
The 47-year-old was forced to withdraw from the marathon after just 1.2km of racing.
“The lead up to this race has been one of the most difficult of my life. The criticism online has had a significant impact on my mental health and I have no doubt that it has contributed to my body deteriorating in this way,” he added.
‘The build-up of stress over the past few weeks has finally taken its toll.
‘I’m aware of some of the negative comments that have been made during and after the race, but I’m not going to listen to them this time. This is what happened. If you choose not to believe it, so be it.
‘Thank you to everyone who has shown kindness and empathy and sent messages of support to acknowledge that we are all human and sometimes things happen that are beyond our control, no matter how hard we try.’
Three-time Australian Olympian Tamsyn Manou (née Lewis) expressed her shock while commenting on the event on Nine.
“I feel sorry for Sinead Diver in this situation because she worked very hard and earned this spot as our fastest athlete, there’s no doubt about that,” Manou said.
Australians Jess Stenson and Genevieve Gregson finished the marathon in 13th and 24th place respectively.