Pittman part of protest, says Lewis
27mar06
TAMSYN Lewis says the controversial protest lodged after the women’s 4 x 400m relay final came after a discussion involving all four runners, despite teammate Jana Pittman publicly washing her hands of the move.
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Australia became a shock winner when track officials deemed England, which easily reached the line first, had accepted the baton for the third leg from an illegal track position.
Lewis and Pittman, whose off-track feud had dominated talk in the lead-up to the Games, referred the matter to stewards moments after the completion of the race.
England officials and commentators reacted angrily to the upholding of the protest, and British newspapers last night quoted Pittman as saying as she left the track: “I’m not associating myself with that decision. England won the gold medal.”
But Lewis said relay runners Rosemary Hayward and Caitlin Willis were also consulted before she and Pittman approached officials.
“Make no mistake, this was discussed straight after the race and it was decided Jana and I would approach officials,” Lewis said.
Australia has been heavily criticised for raising the matter, which did not affect the outcome of the race. England’s Natasha Danvers Smith was adjudged to have lined up in the wrong order before accepting the baton.
Track rules left officials with no discretion on the infringement and they changed the order of finish from England-Australia-India to Australia-India-Nigeria.
“It was as clear as day when the official called Jamaica, us and then England,” Lewis said in outlining what the event’s third-leg runners were told as they waited for teammates.
Rules say runners must be positioned in the order of the incoming runners as they pass the 200m mark.
The race position of athletes had changed between that point and the baton changeover.
“There was a lot of noise and yelling and it wasn’t up to me to tell her (Danvers Smith) that she was in the wrong spot,” Lewis said. “She went past me and stood on the inside and that was her fault, not mine.”
There is conjecture as to whether track officials were aware of the incident before Lewis and Pittman raised it. But Lewis said they had been already analysing the matter.
Pittman’s denial that she was involved in the process is certain to raise further tension between the pair.
The body language of Pittman and Lewis was icy after the race, and at one stage of the celebratory lap of the four Australians, Lewis lagged 70m behind Pittman, Willis and Hayward. Channel 9 also showed replays of Lewis trying to embrace Pittman, who turned her back.
Lewis refused to talk about suggestions of a rift.
“I’m not going to talk about the past, as it’s just that,” she said.
But Lewis hit back at track greats Raelene Boyle and Peter Norman for their recent criticism of her.
The pair had questioned the funding Lewis received, arguing her results did not warrant the backing.
“I’m hardly on big money and I train my guts out to be the best,” said the nine-time national champion and two-time Commonwealth Games 4 x 400m gold medallist.