Tamsyn Lewis-Manou reveals track and field athletes partying antics

WHILE the swimmers might dominate the medal tally, Tamsyn Lewis has revealed it’s the track and field athletes who know how to party.

Commonwealth Games — 2018. Tamsyn Lewis-Manou with children 5-month-old Oliver and Izabella, 3 pictured in Main Beach. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

WHILE the swimmers might dominate the medal tally, Tamsyn Lewis has revealed it’s the track and field athletes who know how to party.

The former middle-distance champion runner, who is part of Channel 7’s commentary team for the Commonwealth Games, said Australian athletics competitors had finally proved themselves a force to be reckoned with this year — and could back up their efforts off the track too.

“The swimmers win more medals but the athletes beat the swimmers when it comes to partying, hands down,” she told Games Confidential.

Tamsyn Lewis-Manou with children 5-month-old Oliver and Izabella, 3. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“The athletes are so entertaining, have good backstories, they have good fun and they’re just really great people.

“Track and field don’t win as many medals as the swimmers but it’s so inspiring to see how well they’re doing in these Games. They’re doing personal bests and making finals, it’s a really good vibe at the track.”

The multi Commonwealth Games gold medallist has recently moved to Brisbane with her husband, former cricketer Graham Manou, and their two children Izabella, 3, and Oliver, six months.

Lewis, 39, says she is spotting signs they’ll follow in their famous parents’ footsteps.

“They’re both showing signs of the hand-eye coordination gene,” she said.

“I’m not sure if they’re going to run on a track with it, or in between wickets, or just running for the school bus.

“But no they both love sport, and I hope they do it. It’s such a healthy thing to do if it’s done in the right way.

“It trains the mind and the body, but at the end of the day it is just a sport and it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. You’ve got to live too.”

Tamsyn Lewis competing at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.

After a rollercoaster of a professional career in sport, which saw her see highs of bagging 18 National titles and lows of several controversies, including a high profile stoush with Jana Pittman, Lewis feels she’s in a happy place now where she has no regrets.

“There’s always little things you’d change, but I think the mistakes you make on your journey end up defining your pathway forward,” she said.

“For me, I don’t think I’d like to change my journey because I’m happy where I’ve ended up.

“Sometimes when you have a bad meet and things haven’t gone right, it ends up being a moment in your career that changes everything for the better.

“I don’t think you can ever be bitter in life.”

Originally published as Tamsyn Lewis-Manou reveals track and field athletes partying antics