Olympic walkers swept off their feet

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HANNAH SILVERMAN
June 01, 2008

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23790837-2682,00.html

OLYMPIAN Claire Woods will make the two greatest walks of her life in the space of nine days – one for gold and one down the aisle.

The athlete will wed fellow Olympic walker Jared Tallent four days after they return from Beijing.
Unlike her Olympic 20km walk on August 21, Woods won't have to worry about judges red-flagging her on her trip down the aisle at Walkerville nine days later.

The talented couple's wedding will cement a four-year relationship which has grown in tandem with their careers. In Beijing, Woods, 26, will compete in the 20km walk while Tallent will take to the road twice, for the men's 20km and 50km events.

Speaking from their Canberra home, Woods, who grew up in the Adelaide suburb of Broadview, and Tallent, from Ballarat, told the Sunday Mail they were anxiously preparing for two of the biggest milestones in their lives. "The last few weeks have been crazy but very exciting," Tallent said.

The athletes-in-love met in 2003 during their AIS scholarships but their relationship didn't blossom until the next year, at the World Walking Cup in Germany.

However, as on the walking track, Woods proved difficult to catch. "I guess we spent more time together there and then after that Jared couldn't stop ringing me," she said.

Tallent said: "I just kept on chasing her. She was (hard to catch) at the start but I think she grew to like me."

Jared popped the question in June last year in Frankfurt at the scene of their first photograph together.

Woods, who works in anti-doping with the Department of Health and Ageing, and Tallent, an AIS tour guide, said their love had helped strengthen their sporting skills.

"I've been in other relationships before and it's hard for them to understand what we have to do," Woods said.

With the Beijing Olympics just over two months away, Woods and Tallent said they had set their goals for the competition. "My aim is a top 20 and Jared's pushing a medal," Woods said.

The couple will return to Australia after the Olympics on August 26 and marry four days later at St Andrew's Church, Walkerville.

"The wedding was pretty much all organised and ready to go by the end of January, but one of my sisters will be in Adelaide (during the Olympics) so no doubt she'll be tying up some strings while we are gone," Woods said.

"It's going to be pretty crazy but we'll be pretty relaxed after the Olympics.

"It's a time when we can have some time off and celebrate."