Liza Hunter-Galvan winning the half marathon in Minnesota. Photo supplied
Liza Hunter-Galvan, the runner battling for inclusion in the New Zealand Olympic team, yesterday let her feet do the talking - then followed up with a verbal volley at selectors reconsidering her case.
The mother-of-four trounced an international field to win the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth,
Minnesota, in a personal best time of 1hr 13m 29s. Then, in a post-race interview, she called on selectors to "do the right thing".
On Friday, the United States-based 38-year-old won an appeal before the Sports Tribunal which ordered Athletics NZ to reconsider its decision to exclude her from the Olympic team, saying the selection criteria had not been followed properly.
Even though she had bettered the qualifying standard for the marathon, she was not nominated on the basis of poor performances at previous championships.
Racing yesterday to prove her fitness, she set out at a conservative pace before hauling in the leaders to win by a minute, lowering her personal best by 48s. Kenyan Caroline Rotich was second in 1:14.40.
Afterwards, Hunter-Galvan told the Duluth News Tribune she hoped the win would help her case, then attacked Athletics NZ's stance.
"It's against the whole Olympic charter what [Athletics NZ] is doing, saying that if you don't have a chance at making the top 16 then you shouldn't go," she told the newspaper.
"It's absolutely ridiculous because that's not what the Olympics is founded on. It's founded on bringing the best people from around the world, not the best people in the world."
Barcelona Olympic marathon bronze medallist Lorraine Moller, who watched Hunter-Galvan's victory and has supported her case, said: "As a follow-up to the tribunal's decision, this is the strongest statement she could have made."
