Cyc: White heads home for Saville

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2004
Cyc: White heads home for Saville

By Paul Mulvey

ATHENS, Aug 14 AAP - With his first Olympic job done, cyclist Matt White will head
back to Sydney to complete task number two as he helps wife Jane Saville erase her nightmare
from 2000.

White flies home after today's men's road race to put on his coach's cap and spend
the week with Saville before they return to Athens for her 20km walk on August 23.

In Sydney four years ago, White saw Saville as she was leading the field 300 metres
from the Olympic stadium finish line and started early gold medal celebrations.

Minutes later, she was sobbing in his arms after being disqualified as she entered the stadium.

As Saville's coach as well as husband, White has watched at close range her four-year
wait for a second chance.

"It's very different for us in cycling from athletics. We've got lots of races every
year, for them the Olympics are only every four years, world championships every two,"

he said.

"The worlds are pretty big, but the Olympics is it. And to come so close in Sydney,
it's basically been four years of waiting, four years of training.

"She hasn't raced since May so it's hard to know how she's going, whereas we race all the time."

White said the years between Games was the hardest period for Saville.

"It was pretty surreal at the time, it was a bit of a shock, but the whole way the
Australian public reacted was probably more of a shock," he said.

"It was probably harder for her in 2001 and 2002 to cope with than actually straight
after the Olympics, it was such a big high, people were stopping her in the street and
saying congratulations anyway, we're proud of you.

"It was pretty hard for her to be depressed and upset at the time but then when it
sinks in and the Olympics are gone and you've got nothing to show for it, it's a long
time between 2000 and 2004."

The 20km walk has a distinct family flavour, with Saville's sister Natalie also in
the event. She too is coached by White.

AAP pmu/sp

KEYWORD: OLY CYC WHITE

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