Australian athletics coach Nic Bideau has jumped to Sinead Diver’s defence after her controversial withdrawal from the women’s marathon in Paris last week.
The 47-year-old, who battled plantar fasciitis ahead of the Paris Olympics, pulled out of marathon after just 1.2km due to experiencing “bilateral cramping in both quadriceps”.
Diver, the Australian record-holder, registered the nation’s fastest time during the qualification period and finished tenth at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Following her withdrawal, pundits questioned whether Australian reserve Lisa Weightman, who ran the third-fastest time during the qualification period, should have replaced Diver ahead of the Paris marathon.
“There are questions around Sinead Diver’s participation in this event and what the alternatives might have been,” Channel 9 commentator Gerard Whateley said.
“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.”
Speaking to SEN Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Bideau clarified that Diver’s injury was triggered during the warm-up, rubbishing any suggestion her Olympic preparation was to blame for the withdrawal.
The deadline for Australia to substitute an alternate runner had already passed when Diver’s injury occurred.
“The day before and the morning of the race, she went there ready to run,” Bideau said.
“If you wanted to rule out people that have an injury, there would be no starters. Just about everybody that starts an Olympic marathon is carrying some of niggle.
“Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest marathon runner ever, couldn’t finish the race.
“The injury that stopped Sinead from running occurred during the warm-up. It wasn’t present, no mention of it, no sign of it at all until she started to warm up and her quads cramped.
“We’re still not sure of the cause (was), but she was ready to run a marathon.
“It was a new injury, and it’s just disappointing that some of the media coverage suggested there was an injury she had carried for a long time cause her to stop. That wasn’t the problem.”
Bideau also pointed out that America’s Fionna O’Keeffe, who won the 2024 United States Olympic Marathon Trials, also pulled out of the event after less than five kilometres.
When quizzed further on Diver’s preparation, Bideau continued: “She came tenth in Tokyo, and she didn’t have the perfect preparation then.
“No one has the perfect preparation except the winners, it’s such a tough competition.
“We weren’t expecting her to do as well as (tenth), but we were expecting her to run well.
“She trained hard even though she couldn’t run as much as she wanted to, she had to limit some of the running she was doing in the last couple of weeks, but she was fit and ready to go.”
Earlier this year, Weightman took a swipe at Athletics Australia for not selecting her for the Paris Olympics despite having the superior qualification time to Jessica Stenson, unsuccessfully appealing the decision.
Stenson finished 13th in the French capital with a time of 2:26.45, while compatriot Genevieve Gregson placed 24th in 2:29.56. Weightman’s best result at an Olympic marathon after four attempts was 17th.
“Weightman has been in the Olympic Games four times, I don’t think she’s come 13th ever,” Bideau snapped.
In a lengthy social media post after the Paris marathon, Diver said she was “absolutely devastated” by her withdrawal.
“I was dealing with a plantar issue in the lead-in to this race,” Diver wrote on Instagram.
“It was manageable and I was training, fit and ready to race.
“That had nothing to do with why I pulled out.
“In the warm up, my quads started to spasm without any warning.
“I hoped it would resolve as I started running, but it didn’t and they seized up within the first km to the point that I couldn’t bend my knees.
“I don’t fully understand what’s caused this.
“The lead in 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 has played a part in my body breaking down in this way.
“The culmination of stress over the last few weeks has finally taken its toll.”
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