Claire Tallent

rdf:langString Claire Tallent

rdf:langString Claire Woods, born 6 July 1981 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian racewalker. Claire Woods has represented Australia at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships in Athletics. Claire made her international debut at the World Walking Cup in Naumburg, Germany in 2004 in the 20km walk. At her first Olympics, she finished in 28th place in an equal personal best of 1:33:02. Claire Woods was 19th at the 2010 IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Chihuhua, Mexico and claimed silver in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, behind England's Johanna Jackson. She began her 2011 season with a husband and wife double at the Australian 20km walk championships, taking the women's title while her husband won on the men's side. In March 2012, Claire achieved a lifetime best of 1:28:53 in the 20km walk. She then achieved the 1st position in both the 5000m and 10km events at the Oceania Championships. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Claire was in tenth place in the Women's 20km walk at 12km but was disqualified shortly after. Claire retired from international competition in 2012 and coached her husband Jared Tallent to a medal at every major championship, culminating in a silver medal in the 50km walk at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After a hiatus from competition, Claire came 43rd in the Women's 20km walk at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, just eleven weeks after giving birth to her son Harvey (born on 25 May 2017). While leading the 20km walk at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, she was disqualified approximately 2km from the finishing line. Weeks after her disqualification, she finished third at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang, China in the women's 50km walk in an Oceania and Australian record of 4:09:33. In January 2019, Claire won the Women's 50km walk at the USA National Championships in Santee, California in a time of 4:12:44. This performance, when combined with her Oceania record, saw Claire become the world's number one ranked 50km walker for four weeks in 2019. In 2019 Claire was one of five female international race walkers that failed in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have the Women's 50km walk included in the Tokyo Olympics program.