DIVER Sinead

General
AGE FACTOR
She believes she is often looked at differently to other female marathon runners because of her age. "I find it extremely frustrating that a lot of the media attention I get is mainly focused on my age. So often, my race times are glossed over and all that gets mentioned is my age. In the coverage of the London Marathon [in 2019], I was referred to as 'the 42-year-old'. Everyone else was allowed the privilege of being referred to by their first or last name. People are trying to put a limit on what I can do. It really frustrates me. My age isn't impacting me at all, and it just annoys me how people focus on that. There is nothing to suggest that when you turn 40 you need to fall apart. It hasn't happened for me and I feel fitter than I was 10 years ago. There are no major skills to master. It's not like you've missed the boat if you didn't do it as a junior. Being fit, healthy and motivated is a great place to start, and that's exactly how it was for me. Succeeding at any age is all about your mindset." (runnersworld.com, 3 Nov 2019; worldathletics.org, 4 Nov 2019; athletesvoice.com.au, 22 Jul 2019)

FROM IRELAND TO AUSTRALIA
She moved from Ireland to Australia in 2002 and gained Australian citizenship in 2009. She switched allegiances to represent Australia in 2015 after no longer meeting the qualifying standard that Athletics Ireland had set for the world championships that year. "Athletics Ireland made their qualifying standard faster, which meant I couldn't go [to the world championships in 2015]. They didn't send anyone in the end, but I was 38 by then, already 14-15 years in Australia and with dual citizenship since 2009, and when they [Athletics Australia] gave me the opportunity to run for them I absolutely jumped at it. It wasn't like I had to choose between the two. I was given the opportunity to run for Australia, and my only other option was to hang on a few years, see if I would qualify again [for Ireland]. But when you're 38, you can't think that far ahead. I've lived nearly half my life in Australia and nearly half my life in Ireland. I feel like I represent both countries so I think I'm in a very privileged position." (balls.ie, 30 Aug 2019; irishtimes.com, 15 Oct 2018)

MISSING RIO
She missed out on a chance to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro due to a knee injury. "Missing out on Rio was really hard to stomach. It was upsetting, and why I'm so gung-ho for Tokyo now. To compete in Tokyo would be a dream come true." (worldathletics.org, 4 Nov 2019; irishtimes.com, 15 Oct 2018)

EARLY DAYS
She grew up in a small town on the west coast of Ireland called Belmullet, where she attended a strict Catholic school. "At my local primary school, the focus was on academics. Sports just didn't feature. However, outside of school I was very active. I grew up on the coast and, although we didn't have any organised sports in our town, I was constantly running around, cycling, swimming, climbing cliffs or playing soccer and basketball with friends. Unfortunately, the secondary school I attended had the same outlook. Academics was the focus and sports were seen as something you did in your spare time. The school was run by nuns and they discouraged girls from being involved in sports. We were, however, allowed to play basketball at lunchtime, so that became my passion for the next few years. I studied PE and Irish Teaching at university. I was surrounded by so many sports but, at 17, the expectation was that you should already have discovered your sport. There was very little opportunity to try other sports, as you were expected to be at a certain level already. The irony of this, given the age I started athletics, doesn't evade me!" (athletesvoice.com.au, 22 Jul 2019)

FAMILY, OCCUPATION
After completing a bachelor's degree in physical education at the University of Limerick in Ireland in 1998, she did a post-graduate diploma in computing at the s