Pittman to face Lewis at Commonwealth Games selection trials
Posted Tuesday, 31 January, 2006
THE long-awaited grudge race between Tamsyn Lewis and former world champion Jana Pittman is set to go ahead at the Commonwealth Games selection trials in Sydney this week.
Lewis said last night she was primed for the trials and was expecting a clash against her arch-rival in the 400m final on Friday night.
"The bigger the rivalry, the better I reckon and it's been incredible the amount of people who've come up to me and asked when are you racing her and do you two get along?" Lewis said.
"It's a talking point and that has to be good for the sport."
There's been a simmering feud between the high-profile athletes since the Athens Olympics, when their once strong friendship became strained.
Lewis questioned Pittman's build-up to Athens and the drama surrounding her campaign at the Games.
Jana quickly responded declaring she'd prefer to be known and remembered for her performances on the track rather than as a "bikini babe".
She was referring to a photo shoot Lewis had done for a men's magazine prior to Athens and the eight-time national champion has revealed there's more to come in coming weeks.
Lewis has posed again for Ralph magazine that will go on sale to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in March.
"I would prefer to be known as a great athlete too but I haven't won a world championship so I can't sit on that laurel," Lewis said last night.
"The bikini babe line was such a compliment from her and if that's how she wants to refer to me then fine. I don't look in the mirror in the morning and say look at me I'm a bikini babe. Instead I usually grab my tracksuit pants and cover up my body."
Lewis and Winter Olympian Lydia Ierodeaconou will feature in separate editions of the magazine over the next two months.
The 27-year-old is bracing herself for a barrage of criticism but had her reasons for again agreeing to do the photo shoot.
Proud ... Lewis loves her body, and so do Ralph readers.
"I'm in better shape than I was in 2004 and the shots are a bit different and they'll cause a bit of a stir," Lewis said.
"I do a lot of work with young girls at schools and I think there's an unrealistic body image that's portrayed out there.
"My body is very feminine and it's bigger than the supermodels that go around, but it's a healthy physique and it's better for young girls to see that rather than the skinny and unhealthy look."
But Lewis' biggest priority is to make the Games team and her clash against Pittman on Friday night has added extra spice to the trials.
Twelve months ago, the pair was on the verge of a grudge match at a Telstra A meet at Olympic Park only to have Pittman withdraw at the last minute.
"I was extremely disappointed last year, not just for my sake but for Athletics Australia because any publicity the sport can get through rivalries is a bonus," Lewis said.
"I think she knew she wasn't in the best shape of her life but now she believes she's fitter than ever before. If that's the case, then all of us will have to be at our best to beat her."
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