‘Too much grey area’: Aussie great explains two words behind Olympic marathon controversy

An Australian athletics legend has weighed in on the women’s marathon Olympics controversy, criticising the selection policy.

Australian athletics legend Tamsyn Manou says “there was too much grey area in the selection criteria” for the women’s marathon event that has sparked a furore ahead of the Paris Olympics.

In an exclusive column for news.com.au, gold medallist hurdler Sally Pearson slammed the move to overlook Lisa Weightman for the marathon in Paris despite having the third fastest qualifying time out of the Aussies.

Sinead Diver, Genevieve Gregson and Jessica Stenson (nee Trengove) will represent Australia in the marathon at the Paris Games. Athletics Australia have yet to formally confirm the team but an announcement is expected soon.

Six Aussies did enough to qualify under the Paris entry standard of 2:26:50, but only three can be chosen.

Pearson wrote: “I’m stoked for all three of them. Unfortunately, their selection has come at a price.

“It’s a very grey area, but in black-and-white terms it’s simple to say Weightman qualified with the third quickest time and did everything she could to earn a spot on the plane to France.

“Her time of 2:23:15 was only behind Gregson’s 2:23:08 and Diver’s 2:21:34, but ahead of Izzi Batt-Doyle (2:23:27), Eloise Wellings (2:25:47) and critically Stenson (2:24:01).

“Im disappointed with the national selection panel, but I’m more shocked at the integrity of Athletics Australia and how this has become a total farce.”

Lisa Weightman, Slly Pearson and Jess Stenson.

Speaking on 3AW’s Olympics Today podcast, Manou (nee Lewis) said the controversy was a result of grey area in the rules and Weightman, 45, was overlooked due to “selector discretion.”

“Firstly, it’s a positive that we have six women who have gone under 2:26 in the qualifying period,” Manou said.

“That is phenomenal. The standard of long distance running in Australia is so phenomenal.

“I wouldn’t want to be a selector. I think it was probably the hardest decision of the Australian team to make to select that women’s marathon because all six have fantastic stories. They’ve competed for Australia before, they’ve done so well.

“There was too much grey area in that selection criteria and that’s what I hope they take from this and they relook at that criteria for the marathon. I don’t think they would have expected to have six women of this calibre and for it to be this hard.

“That’s a beautiful challenge to have, but it’s also super sad because all six of those athletes are wonderful representatives for Australia and all wonderful people.

“For me, it is hard. If you’re going to select Sinead Diver off her run in December 2022 in Valencia — you’ve clearly gone for time on that one. Gen Gregson, what a story coming back from rupturing her Achilles in the last Olympics and a new mum. She’s run a marathon and gone incredibly fast. I don’t think there’s any shock Gen’s been picked.

Jess Stenson won gold in the marathon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Picture: MATT LOXTON

“But if you’re going off times for the first two, you’ve gone away from that and picked Jess Stenson.

“Possibly they looked at her Commonwealth Games gold and the way she ran that to pick Jess. Jess had just come back from having a baby as well, it’s an incredible run.

“But you can understand why Lisa’s upset as well — she does have that third fastest time and if you look at the conditions Lisa ran it — it was a cold, wet day.

“It’s a tough selection. You can see why Lisa would be very upset. This would have been her fifth Olympics. She knows how to compete and is in the shape of her life.

“She had a fantastic marathon to run 2:23.15 in those conditions. You can see why she’s disappointed and there’s a lot of emotion around this selection.”

3AW host Shane McInnes suggested Aussie selectors may have picked Stenson over Weightman on the basis that “we believe based on what we’ve seen previously Jess has a better chance to potentially win a medal”.

Tamsyn Lewis Manou believes the selection policy is too murky. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

Lisa Weightman is very unlucky. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Manou added that the only way to avoid a repeat of Weightman’s situation was to remove all grey area from selection policy or hold a one off trial race — which is complicated due to different weather conditions in athletics.

“But unless you make it really clear cut and say in the selection criteria and say ‘We are picking the top three times’ — and that’s hard too because with the marathon you have to really target that race,” she said.

“The USA has a marathon championship trials. They take out the grey area and the first three across the line in those trials get selected and the fourth person’s the alternate.

“I hope what Australian athletics does is we do what the Americans do and we name an alternate in this marathon.

“Unfortunately when you take away the result of an Olympic trials and there is that selectors discretion in the criteria, there’s always going to be selections the public and people won’t be happy with.”

Lisa Weightman had the third fastest time. PICTURE: MATT THOMPSON

She was going for her fifth Olympics. Photo: AFP PHOTO / Adrian DENNIS

In a statement, Weightman said it’s unlikely she will take her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport — an expensive exercise after she successfully appealed via the National Sports Tribunal, only for Athletics Australia to reaffirm their original decision.

“Lisa’s not the first person to put in an appeal to a selection and she won’t be the last. I think there possibly be more within this team,” said Manou.
“We are blessed with depth in so many of the events that the selectors have a tough job if they have to go to discretionary picks.

“That’s why I’m a big fan of the American system because I love putting it on the line and going first free across the line because you do take out that discretion.

“But our nationals are a lot earlier before the major championships. With selectors discretion there’s always going to be these conversations.”

Read Sally Pearson’s full column about the athletics selection controversy here.

Originally published as ‘Too much grey area’: Aussie great explains two words behind Olympic marathon controversy