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Profile - Tania Van Heer
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Tania Van Heer became Australia's most successful athlete at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur when she won two relay Gold Medals as well as a bronze in the 100m. Some commentators believe she would have also won the 200m in KL if she had started in that event. Van Heer also represented Australia in World Cup, World Championships and World Indoor Championships, winning a silver medal in the latter. |
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Tania Van Heer emigrated to Australia with her family to escape political tensions in Sri Lanka. In 1985 the Van Heers settled in Adelaide and Tania began training with Olympic coach John Daly. Tania had already been Sri Lankan 100m, 200m and 400m Open Champion in 1984 at the age of 13. Tania's sister was a South East Asian 100m champion, her mother May was a top 400m runner and her father, Claire, was a navy sprint champion. Van Heer had an amazing career as a junior winning rare national 100m, 200m and 400m trebles in U18 (1987) and U20 (1988) championships. She attempted to duplicate this feat in 1989 but had some bad luck when it was discovered team officials had forgotten to enter her in the 100m. She was not allowed to start and had to content herself with 200m and 400m victories while Melinda Gainsford took the 100 title. Despite being one of Australia's outstanding juniors of the eighties, a stress fracture in 1988 prevented her from taking her place in the World Junior Championships. Two years later she just missed eligibility for the 1990 World Junior team as she was born on 30 December - two days too early! Tania did represent Australia in the World Cup in both 1989 and 1992 as a relay squad member. She was also a member of Jane Flemming's centrefold team in the 'Golden Girls' calendar. Through the early nineties injury continued to affect her career and her sprint times were no faster than she had achieved as a promising junior. As early as 1992 she contemplated retirement. Fortunately in 1993, with the help of new coach Andrew Noble, her fortunes seemed to improve. She ran third over 100m and 200m at the nationals and, after running a fast leg (51.48) in a qualification trial, she was selected for the World Championships 4x400m. A withdrawal later in the season by Australian record holder Maree Holland led to the entire team being withdrawn. Deeply disappointed, Van Heer retired. With the encouragement of family and friends, she made a comeback to the track in 1995. She even experimented with running 800m managing a 2-06 run at Olympic Sports Field. Her new found stamina looked likely to assist her 400m times and she concentrated on this distance at the nationals. She went out in the final at a great pace but died after leading into the home straight. Van Heer was absent from the track in the 1995/96 season but returned again in 1996/97. She ran well at the 1997 nationals but was not considered for the World Championship relay squad. Gainsford, Freeman, Hewitt, Peris-Kneebone, Lambert and Cripps were strong competition for a berth in the team. In 1998 she had her best ever Australian season, though she was not able to win a medal in the national sprints. She ran fourth in the 100m title when, on her heat form, she seemed likely to grab a medal. Also fourth behind world class sprinters in the 200m final, Tania had the consolation of sharing in a national relay win with her South Australian teammates. She maintained good form in the Australian winter and ran a 200m PB leading into the Commonwealth Games trials. In the Sydney trials she ran second in the 100m, beating Nova Peris, but was again unfortunate in the 200m where she was disqualified in her heat for running out of her lane. In the heat she matched strides with eventual Commonwealth Games Champion, Nova Peris-Kneebone in a tight finish. Nevertheless she was thrilled to be selected in the Commonwealth Games team. Tania was picked for the 100m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay events. In the 4x400m she was considered an emergency as Freeman, Gainsford, Naylor, Andrews and Lewis were rated the likely candidates for a berth in the final team. Injuries to Gainsford and Freeman made Australian officials seriously consider Tania. Immediately after the Australian trials Nova Peris-Kneebone appealed against Tania's selection in the 100m. She appealed to the Confederation of Australian Sport in a groundbreaking challenge to selection in an Australian team. Tania Van Heer was forced to suffer a stressful month leading up to the Games with a slightly inexperienced Van Heer overwhelmed by the constant media attention. She was supported through a tearful time by new husband Mark Murphy and her family. The Australian team also encouraged Van Heer, who was considering pulling out of the team, to compete as 'Australia needed her'. Finally Peris's appeal was rejected and Tania was able to take her place in the 100m. In the event she ran three personal best times and in the final won the bronze medal in a new state record of 11.29. This time finally beat the South Australian mark of Diane Burge set twenty years earlier. Just prior to the Commonwealth Games, Tania had broken Burge's 20 year old 200m State record in the World Cup where she ran 22.93.
Kuala Lumpur in 1998 - Nova Peris (left) & Lauren Hewitt (right) with Tania
Van Heer did not get to run the 200m in KL, though many commentators considered she may well have won the event. She did show her versatility by running the first leg in the victorious Australian 4x100m relay team and then anchoring the successful 4x400m squad. Her time in the 4x400m relay was a flying 50.61. In early 1999, she ran a leg in the 4x400m relay team at the World Indoor Championships. Together with Cathy Freeman, Tamsyn Lewis and Susan Andrews, she shared a silver medal as the team created a new national record. At the 1999 Nationals, she set another PB for 400m - running second behind Cathy Freeman. Van Heer was selected in the Australian team for the World Championships, but suffered from injuries in the lead-up to her European campaign. She ran well in Seville though; just failing to make the final of the 200m and assisting Australia's relay team. The next year was disappointing for Tania as she could not make the Sydney 2000 Olympic team after injuries spoiled her preparation for the season. PERSONAL BESTS
100y 10.93 12/01/92 Hobart
100m 11.29 17/09/98 Kuala Lumpur
11.13w 24/01/99 Perth
200m 22.42* 06/02/99 Canberra
22.57 25/08/99 Seville
23.01 06/02/99 Canberra
400m 51.28 19/03/99 Melbourne
800m 2-06.83 26/02/95 Adelaide
INTERNATIONAL HONOURS
1998 COMMONWEALTH BRONZE 100M
1998 COMMONWEALTH GOLD 4x100M RELAY
1998 COMMONWEALTH GOLD 4x400M RELAY
1999 WORLD INDOOR SILVER 4x400M RELAY
1999 WORLD CHAMPS SEMI 200M
1999 WORLD CHAMPS FINAL 4x400M RELAY
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
4x100m 1998
4x400m 1988, 1989
NATIONAL JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
U20 U18
100m 1988 1987
200m 1988, 1989 1987
400m 1988, 1989 1987
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