Tamsyn Lewis

I was born in 1978 in the Mercy Hospital Melbourne. My Doctor, Dr Groves, first words to my parents after my birth were “She’s a healthy little lump!” I had a brilliant childhood, always hanging out with my brother, Justin, and his mates. I grew up in Viewbank, a suburb that was only just being built. Mum and Dad built our house at the top of Everglade Court and we had paddocks and parks all around, which was great for exploring and playing footy or cricket, depending which season it was!!

My Parents, Carolyn (Wright) and Greg both represented Australia in athletics. I often joke that if I was a foal I would have been expensive. However, I wasn’t interested in Little Athletics, choosing to stick to skateboarding and riding my bmx instead. I absolutely loved footy and cricket, spending hours a day perfecting my skills so I could play with the older boys in our court. Unfortunately my role in cricket was usually fielder and in up there cazaly, (a football marking game) I was the one at the front that the boys took screamers, (marks), over!!

In Grade four at Primary school, my PE teacher discovered my running ability. In the class races I beat not only all the girls but also the boys. I was also very good at kiss chasey, so rather than chasing the boys Mr. Norman put me in the school athletics team. I loved competing for my school. I placed in state finals as a junior but never medaled at national level until Grade 6 in the 4 x 100m relay. Interestingly my fellow team mate was Lauren Hewitt whom I now often room with on senior teams. It was so exciting we came second…my first ever national medal!!

My first coach was Neville Sillitoe, who was my Dad’s coach and has coached Olympic and Commonwealth medalists. He focused on improving my speed and was always conscious of my young years and developing body so caution was taken and I was only allowed to train twice a week. This drove me nuts, as I was desperate to improve. In year 9, (1993), my body changes led to me suffering anorexia nervosa. I was a very skinny child who, when developing obviously put on weight and unfortunately was told I was getting fat by people within the athletics world. As I was naturally competitive, and my dream was to be an athlete, I stupidly listened. Thankfully I had a great family support network whom, worked hard with me and got me back on track; which is where my passion for the Butterfly Foundation, (which raises awareness of eating disorders in Australia), stemmed from, and why today I am an ambassador for them.

In 1994, I was healthy and after a massive improvement I made my first ever Australian team. I was to be the youngest member of the Australian track and field team for the Commonwealth Games. I was also selected in the World Junior Team. I was in Year 10 at high school and spent 10 weeks competing and training overseas. It was tough as I was very young; however it was an experience of a lifetime. This trip began my journey as an international athlete.

My parents and Neville held me back after this first trip. The following years I was to stay in Australia and track and field took a back seat to my studies. I was elected the first ever girl captain of Caulfield Grammar, Glen Eira Rd campus. I loved school, had great friends and family yet unfortunately the pressures of study, wanting to be an elite athlete and also being a teenage girl took their toll again. I became bulimic from the end of year 11 (1995) to the beginning of first year university (1997). I fooled most people, except my Mum. Thankfully she worked so hard for me, and by 1998 I was back on track, literally, and took out my first ever national senior title in the 800m. That year I went to my second Commonwealth Games finishing 6th in the 800m final and our 4x400m relay won the Gold medal.

From then I have not looked back. Winning a National title every year since that first one and representing my country at multiple Commonwealth, World and Olympic Games. Sydney Olympics was definitely the highlight of my career. I roomed with Catherine Freeman whom I had traveled with and trained with in the lead up under our coach Peter Fortune. Missing the final of the 800m by 3/100ths of a second was heart breaking. I found out I had missed the final by the collective sighs of the 110,000 strong parochial crowd. Reflecting though, it was the best I could do and I had given everything I had in the semi-final, and as an athlete that’s all I could ask for. You can never influence what anyone else brings to the track, you can only control your own form and race, and I did that. The relay was still to come, and joining Nova Peris, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and my roomy Freeman was very special. We finished 5th, or maybe 4th as Marian Jones ran in the winning USA team and has been stripped of her medal; either way we ran an Australian record that had stood for nearly 25 years.

In 2001-2004 I was coached by Sebastian Coe and Daley Thompson, who have 6 Olympic medals between them. It was a fantastic experience and one where I gained knowledge and athletics expertise, but also two life long mates. In 2002 before the Commonwealth Games in Manchester I lived on the floor of a friends place in Brixton, London. It was not the best base for an athlete but it was all I could afford and I was desperate to gain all I could from my coaches, which meant I had to be in the UK. After picking up a liver infection, not bad for someone who doesn’t drink, due to my living environment Seb decided I was to base with him and his family from then on. And even though he is no longer my coach, whenever I go to Europe to race on the circuit, I still stay with him and his family in Surrey which really has now become my home away from home.

2004 was a year I would love to forget. Leading into the 2004 Athens Olympic Games negative publicity was generated from comments made by David Culbert, a selector and former Australian long jumper, who announced on radio that I was out of shape. The press got hold of this and ran with the headlines “Tamsyn - fat”. Not nice, but you deal with it. I was not in shape. I was carrying a hamstring injury, which happens as an athlete. I was desperate to represent my country at the Olympics as I had worked so hard. Sometimes the harder you try, the more damage you do. After those games I could easily have walked away from the sport. However my brother Justin, told me to relocate back to Melbourne and train with his squad under Roy Boyd, and concentrate on the 400m till I was ready mentally and physically to step back up to the 800s.
Since 2004, I have gradually got my love back for the sport. I have led a more balanced life, including working in radio and on television, and being an ambassador for a variety of charities, which I have enjoyed immensely. My stint on Dancing with the Stars was challenging yet extremely rewarding. I made life long friends and had a blast learning to dance. I was very shocked to make it as far as I did and grateful to everyone who supported me and voted. Various opportunities that I have had so far in the media have definitely fuelled my hunger to pursue more opportunities in the area. My brother Justin now coaches me and I owe my rejuvenated form of late to him. I have a fantastic training squad who have made turning up to sessions great fun. The squad is definitely eclectic, ranging from 24 to 46 in ages and including an ex-hurdler, a Para-Olympian, an Olympic softball hopeful and pro-runners. We train at our local track, which is my athletics club, Sandringham. Having come off a successful 2007 European campaign which saw me gain podium finishes, and gain 4 Olympic A standards. I am focused solely on the 2008 Beijing Olympics and as my coach and I have discussed we just want to see how fast I can get my body to go over the two lap distance.