Mayo native addresses online abuse after Olympic marathon exit

The aftermath of Sinead Diver's early withdrawal from the women's Olympic marathon in Paris has escalated, as the Mayo native has become the target of online abuse.

Diver, originally from Corclough, Belmullet and now representing Australia, was forced to pull out of the race just over one kilometre in, marking a disappointing end to her second Olympic appearance.

Having previously finished tenth in the women's marathon at the Tokyo Olympics, Diver was expected to perform strongly again. However, Athletics Australia later confirmed that she had to withdraw due to 'bilateral cramping,' which occurred despite a thorough preparation. While Diver had been dealing with a plantar issue leading up to the Olympics, this was reportedly not related to her withdrawal.

Despite these explanations, Diver's performance in Paris has sparked controversy in Australia. Critics argue that she should have been replaced before the race by reserve runner Lisa Weightman, who has been in impressive form recently. Weightman had contested her exclusion from the team back in May, but her appeal was unsuccessful.

The backlash against Diver intensified online, with negative comments surfacing both before and after the marathon. In a social media post, Diver opened up about the toll this abuse has taken on her mental health, while also explaining why she felt no need to reconsider her participation in the Olympics.

"I’m absolutely devastated to have had to DNF at my second Olympic Games. I was dealing with a plantar issue in the lead-up to this race, but it was manageable, and I was fit and ready to compete. That had nothing to do with why I pulled out," Diver shared.

She further explained, "During the warm-up, my quads began to spasm without warning. I hoped it would resolve once I started running, but it only worsened, and within the first kilometre, I couldn't bend my knees. I don't fully understand what caused this."

Diver also reflected on the emotional toll of the past few weeks, stating, "The lead-up to this race has been one of the most challenging times of my life. The vitriol online has significantly impacted my mental health, and I believe that stress played a role in my body breaking down this way. The culmination of stress over the last few weeks has finally taken its toll."

In response to the ongoing criticism, Diver added, "I’m aware of some of the negative commentary during and after 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."

She concluded with a message of gratitude, "Thank you to everyone else who has shown kindness and empathy and sent messages of support, acknowledging that we are all human and sometimes things happen that are out of our control, no matter how hard we try."