FIVE RUNNERS SELECTED TO TAKE ON ICONIC PARIS OLYMPIC MARATHON FOR AUSTRALIA

Sinead Diver, Genevieve Gregson, Jessica Stenson, Brett Robinson and Patrick Tiernan have been selected to contest the marathon at Paris 2024, with the Australian Olympic Committee announcing their selections in Melbourne today.

Gregson will become just the sixth Australian woman in history to compete in Athletics at four Olympics, while Tiernan, Stenson and Robinson all return for their third Games.

Australian record holder Diver returns for her second Games after her 10^th place in Tokyo was the best Olympic finish by an Australian woman in more than thirty years.

Gregson and Tiernan will both contest the Olympic marathon for the first time after transitioning from the track. Gregson’s selection also marks an extraordinary comeback from a devastating injury suffered at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Gregson and Stenson will both compete at the Olympics as mothers for the first time, with Stenson running her Paris 2024 qualifying time just six months postpartum.

Athlete bios available here

The Paris marathon will take in iconic monuments like the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tour and pays tribute to a key moment in French history and the French Revolution, by following the route of the Women’s March on Versailles in 1789.

The men’s race will be the second last day of competition, with the women’s event the final day – bringing to an end the athletics competition for Paris 2024. For the first time in Olympic history – the marathon course is also open for a public event, with community runners competing in a marathon the evening prior the women’s race.

Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic Team Anna Meares announced the team selection at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park.

“Congratulations to Brett, Pat, Sinead, Genevieve and Jess on your selections. The marathon is a special event and I know you will represent Australia with pride in Paris,” Ms Meares said.

“This team is full of incredible athletes who have all shown impressive resilience and determination to qualify for these Games.

“I would also like to acknowledge the fantastic depth in Australian distance running at the moment. With so many great runners posting qualifying times, it has been a difficult selection process and I feel for everyone involved.”

Diver set a new national record of 2.21.34 in January 2023. The forty-seven-year-old said having family cheering her on would make Paris even more special.

“This means so much to me. It’s an honour to represent Australia for a second time at the Olympics,” she said. “My first experience was very special but I’m hoping that this one will top it as I can share it with family and friends.

“Having my kids there means the world to me, they are so excited about getting to Paris and they’re at the age where they’ll remember this forever.

“I learned a lot from my Tokyo prep and again from my build leading into the Australian record, so I’m hoping to take these learnings to be in even better shape for Paris. I was so proud to place tenth in Tokyo, but as athletes we’re never content to stay at the same level, we want to continually improve. I’m going to focus on what I can control and get myself into the best shape possible.”

Twenty-nine-year-old Tiernan was thrilled to make his third Olympic Team.

“I’m very fortunate to have had this experience at least once, so to be preparing for my third go around is something I definitely don’t take for granted,” Tiernan said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to learn a lot from my experiences in Rio and Tokyo. Taking the lessons I learned from those and applying them to another Olympics is a rare opportunity, and one I’m very fortunate to have.

“It was definitely a tough transition (to marathon). I struggled to find what balance of new and old training stimulus was going to work for a while, but I feel very confident that I’ve found it over the last 8-10 months. I think marathon is the event that my career has been targeted towards and the event I’m most competitive in at an international level, which gives me a lot of confidence heading into Paris.”

Gregson’s journey from heartbreak on the track in Tokyo to the Paris Olympic marathon is one if incredible resilience and inspiration.

“Four Olympic Games is so special, I don’t take any of it for granted,” she said. “After Tokyo I didn’t know if I’d ever able to return to running at the same level, let alone making another Olympics.

“Although I’m so proud of being a four-time Olympian, I’m more proud I was able to get back to this level after the adversity I was facing three years ago. Rehabbing a ruptured achilles was tough but at the same time I was pregnant so I had this inner motivation to look forward to at the end of such a long time off.

“I definitely didn’t think I would get to this point and be as strong and fit as ever, but to look back now at the journey I’ve had, it’s been a special and exciting challenge for me. I’m so thankful this was the path I got to take post Tokyo.”

Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley welcomed today’s announcement.

“We are incredibly proud of our marathon athletes selected for Paris 2024. Their dedication, resilience, and unwavering spirit embody the very essence of Australian sport.

“We are truly in a golden era for Australian athletics, with such depth across a number of distance disciplines. We have no doubt that this is powerhouse team of athletes, ready to conquer the roads of Paris and I know they will inspire us all with their courage and determination.”

Australian Olympic Team for Paris 2024 – Athletics (Marathon)

*Will have birthday between selection date and Paris 2024.

The marathon events are held on 10 August (men) and 11 August (women), starting from the Hôtel de Ville and finishing at Invalides.

By Australian Olympic Team
Posted: 3/6/2024