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Restricted to the odd recreation of basketball and soccer, Diver as an alternative discovered launch on the seashores and cliffs of the County Mayo coast as an alternative, earlier than taking over a level in bodily schooling and Irish instructing on the College of Limerick.
Even there, although, her pure working expertise remained hidden.
“It is fairly unusual, truly,” she stated. “We had a module in athletics [at university], however that was extra from a instructing standpoint.
Diver’s appreciable athletic skills remained buried till lengthy after she moved to Australia, aged 25, though a run across the Tan altering all the things.
“After I began, it was simply initially for normal health,” Diver stated.
“Then, within the working group that I joined, somebody stated, ‘You need to log out to an athletic membership and begin competing at state degree’, which I did.”
She did not cease there, with wins adopted at state degree and nationwide degree.
“I knew I used to be getting higher, however I nonetheless by no means actually considered racing internationally,” she stated.
Working her first marathon as a 38-year-old in Melbourne, in 2014, Diver certified for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.
“That gave me a giant soar in confidence — and I had the Olympics at the back of my thoughts after that, as a result of that is form of the following degree up once more.
“However I did not actually consider that I might make it, I feel.”
Eire snub opens up Australia possibility
Having thought little of working on the worldwide degree, Diver assumed she would race in the inexperienced of Eire in Beijing.
Nonetheless, Athletics Eire shifted the choice goalposts, leaving Diver with little possibility however to compete for Australia.
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