Jane Saville
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 November 1974 Sydney, Australia |
Medal record | |
Jane Kara Saville (born 5 November 1974) is an Australian race walker who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She was born in Sydney.
Saville, from an athletically inclined family, competed in swimming, surf lifesaving, and walking as a junior athlete. She has competed at four Olympics, with a midfield result in 1996. In the 20 km racewalking event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in her home city of Sydney, when heading into the stadium's tunnel for the final stretch, Saville was disqualified for an illegal gait (lifting, a very common occurrence in race walking; the previous leader of the event had already been disqualified). Saville collapsed in tears. Afterwards, when asked what she needed, she replied: "A gun to shoot myself".[1] Saville recovered her composure soon after and was publicly philosophical about her loss.[citation needed]
On her bronze medal in Athens, Saville stated: "Nothing will make up for a gold medal in your home town, but you know this is where the Olympics began and any medal here, you know, I'm absolutely ecstatic with it".[2]
Saville has won three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games: in the 10-kilometre walk in 1998 and in the 20-kilometre walk in 2002 and 2006. She has won the Australian women's race walking championship five times. She was the Australian flagbearer at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.[citation needed]
She is coached by her husband, professional cyclist Matt White. She splits her time between Sydney and Oliva, Spain. Her sister, Natalie Saville, is also a race walker and finished second to her at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[citation needed]
Saville announced her retirement from competitive racewalking in February 2009,[3] with her future plans including continued work in community health and fitness promotion and a role on the IAAF racewalking technical committee.[4]
Saville has completed a Bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of New South Wales.[citation needed]
Both Jane and her sister Natalie Saville live in the City of Randwick Local Government Area. Together with Natalie, Jane was presented with the Keys to the City of Randwick on 22 October 2002 by Mayor Dominic Sullivan in recognition of outstanding achievement in sport.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]Saville is married to former professional cyclist Matt White and lives in Spain with their three children.[5] She is a supporter of her hometown rugby league club the South Sydney Rabbitohs.[6]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Greg Buckle (28 July 2004). "Saville keeps feet on ground after tears". Reuters. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ ABC News (23 August 2004). "Saville wins walking bronze". Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ ABC News (12 February 2009). "Olympian Saville calls it quits". Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ "Jane Saville retires, walks into community role". Jane Saville. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
- ^ "UNSW Sport Hall of Fame Member: Jane Saville". 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Jane Saville - My Souths Story". 13 February 2018.
External links
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| 10 kilometres (1990-1998; 2022) |
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| 20 kilometres (2002-2018) |
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- 1974 births
- Living people
- Athletes from Sydney
- Sportswomen from New South Wales
- Australian female racewalkers
- Olympic athletes for Australia
- Olympic bronze medalists for Australia
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- University of New South Wales alumni
- 21st-century Australian social scientists
- Australian Institute of Sport track and field athletes
- Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
- 20th-century Australian women
- 21st-century Australian women
- Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
- Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Australian Athletics Championships winners