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Sinead Driver of Australia dropped out of the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon at the 1.2 kilometre point due to a cramping hamstring and quads.

Although it was known that she was dealing with a plantar fasciitis issue, it did not hamper her training and she expected to deal with it during the race. However, her hamstring and quads were cramping out of nowhere before the race started.

“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,” she wrote on IG.

“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.”

Fellow Aussies Jess Stenson and Genevieve Gregson finished the marathon in 13th and 24th positions, respectively. 

The Lisa Weightman debacle

Weightman was the third-fastest Australian during the qualification period. Stenson was the fourth. Athletics Australia chose Stenson instead of Weightman, which caused a social media backlash.

In February 2024, Weightman ran the Osaka Marathon in the time of 2:24:43, which put her 2:07 under the qualification standard of 2:26:50. However, she was ranked 85th in the world, five positions out of the required top 80. Some of the athletes in front of her would be removed as only three athletes per country, per event are permitted.

Weightman is a two-time national champion, and Commonwealth Games silver medallist and finished fifth in the 2017 London Marathon, sixth in the 2017 Chicago Marathon and eighth in the 2018 New York City Marathon. While her age is something to consider at 45, teammate Driver is 47.

On August 4, Weightman ran the Sunshine Coast Half Marathon in the time of 1:10:23 demonstrating fitness. Her personal best from 2019 is 1:08:48 on the same course. Her personal best in the marathon is 2:23:15 from the 2023 Osaka Marathon.

Weightman launched an appeal to the National Sports Tribunal in May of 2024 when she was not selected. Weightman won that appeal and the selection was referred back to Athletics Australia, but the selection committee stood their ground. Weightman had the opportunity to appeal further to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but chose not to.

Where the USA’s Trials system has its faults, the Australian selection process appears too complex.

    Jessica Stenson

    The 36-year-old ran 2:24:01 in April 2024 in Daegu, Korea. It is a late-coming result, however, made her one of the top five Australians with Driver, Weightman, Gregson and Isobel Batt-Doyle. The Daegu performance is Stenson’s personal best. She is an experienced marathon runner with 12 annual bests in the range of 2:25:15 in Perth in 2021 to 2:31:01 in her debut in 2012 in Nagoya, Japan.

    Stenson showed up to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and won gold in 2:27:31. She also won bronze during the Gold Coast and Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

    Genevieve Gregson

    Genevieve Gregson clocked a personal best of 2:23:08 during the 2023 Valencia Marathon to qualify for Paris eight months ago. The 35-year-old finished 24th in the time of 2:29:56 in Paris.

    Gregson has a long history of competing over a range of distances. Her career focus was in the 3000m steeplechase for a period. She finished fifth during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and at the Gold Coast Games in the event.

    None of the five (including Eloise Wellings) marathon runners from Australia were heads and tails above the others, choosing three would make for a difficult decision.

    Gregson was just happy to return to form after a ruptured Achilles tendon during the Tokyo Olympic Games and childbirth.

    Isobel Batt-Doyle and Eloise Wellings

    Interestingly, Isobel Batt-Doyle ran 2:23:27 at the 2023 Valencia Marathon. She has competed twice at the Commonwealth Games and finished top 10 (eighth) both in the 5000m and 10,000m events during the Birmingham edition. Batt-Doyle showed consistency during 2024 racing well on the tracks and roads in the 5000m and 10km events clocking 14:49.75 and 30:23, respectively. At 28, she is mature, but the youngest in the group.

    Also, 41-year-old Eloise Wellings clocked a qualifying time and a new personal best in March 2022 with her 2:25:10 performance in Nagoya. Six times she has finished top 10 in the Commonwealth Games including fourth at the 2022 Birmingham CGF marathon.

    At the end of the day, Gregson beat Weightman head to head and Stenson beat Driver head to head. But, Driver with the recent national record of 2:21:34 from late 2022 in Valencia, gave her the nod.

    Any of the five would have done, plus or minus, well in the Paris Marathon. What is important here, is that Athletics Australia gets its act together and selects the best possible team for future global championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

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