The fallout to Sinead Diver's early exit from the women's Olympic marathon yesterday has continued, with the Mayo native subjected to online abuse after she was forced to withdraw just over one kilometre into the race in Paris.
Diver, who was born and raised in Belmullet before moving to Australia at the age of 25, was running for the Aussies for the second consecutive Olympics, having finished tenth in the women's marathon in Tokyo.
However, she would be forced to pull out of the race after just a few minutes on this occasion.
READ HERE: Mayo Native Forced To Withdraw Just 1.5KM Into Women's Olympic Marathon
Mayo's Sinead Diver Opens Up She Recieved Over Olympic Selection
Athletics Australia would later reveal that Sinead Diver was forced to withdraw as a result of suffering 'bilateral cramping'. She was also nursing a plantar issue in the buildup to the Olympics, although it is believed this was not related to her issues during the race.
Despite this, her performance in Paris has resulted in quite a bit of controversy in Australia.
Some believe that Diver should have been replaced ahead of the race, with reserve runner Lisa Weightman having produced some excellent form in recent times. Back in May, Weightman would appeal the decision not include her as one of the three Australian entries for this event, a process that was ultimately unsuccessful.
The Ireland native would also be subjected to quite a bit of abuse online, both in the buildup to and after yesterday's marathon.
Taking to social media, Diver would explain the impact this abuse had on her mental wellbeing in recent times. She also explained why she had no reason to reconsider her participation in the Olympics in the lead up to the games.
View this post on Instagram
I’m absolutely devastated to have had to DNF at my second Olympic Games. I was dealing with a plantar issue in the lead in to this race.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.
I’m aware of some of the negative commentary during & since the race but this time I’m not going to listen. This is what happened. If you choose not to believe it, then so be it.
Thank you to everyone else who has shown kindness & empathy and sent messages of support to acknowledge that we are all human and sometimes things happen that are out of our control, no matter how hard we try.
At 47-years old, it seems likely that Paris will be Sinead Diver's final appearance at the Olympics.
If that is the case, it is incredibly unfortunate way for her time at level to draw to an end.
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