Mayo marathon runner selected by Australia for Tokyo Olympics

The 44-year-old Belmullet woman was among six athletes picked for Australia to contest the Olympic marathons, which will be held in Sapporo, 831 kilometres north of Tokyo.

Sinead Diver only found her way to the sport at the age of 33, the mother-of-two taking up running in 2010 and progressing rapidly in the years that followed.

Mayo native Sinéad Diver will fulfil her Olympic dream this summer after being selected by Australia to compete in the women’s marathon at the Tokyo Games. The 44-year-old was among six athletes picked for Australia to contest the Olympic marathons, which will be held in Sapporo, 831 kilometres north of Tokyo.

Her selection is a reminder to those in Irish athletics of what might have been given Diver, who emigrated to Australia in 2002, had intended to compete internationally for her native country before Athletics Ireland revised the qualifying standard for the 2015 World Championships.