Jane Saville

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.

Jane Saville
Personal information
Born (1974-11-05) 5 November 1974
Sydney, Australia
Medal record
Women's Athletics
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
2004 Athens 20 km walk
Commonwealth Games
1998 Kuala Lumpur 10 km walk
2002 Manchester 20 km walk
2006 Melbourne 20 km walk

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Personal life

Saville is a supporter of her hometown rugby league club the South Sydney Rabbitohs.[5]

Notes
  1. Greg Buckle (28 July 2004). "Saville keeps feet on ground after tears". Reuters. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  2. ABC News (23 August 2004). "Saville wins walking bronze". Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  3. ABC News (12 February 2009). "Olympian Saville calls it quits". Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  4. "Jane Saville retires, walks into community role". Jane Saville. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  5. https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2018/02/14/my-souths-story-jane-saville/
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