Racehorse TALK

Scott Gullan

April 21, 2009 12:00am

JANA Rawlinson has overcome obstacles to triumph on the track, but the athletics star admits she is fighting to save her marriage.

The double world champion hurdler last night admitted she had separated from her husband Chris as they tried to work through serious relationship problems.

The couple, who married a week after she won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, have a two-year-old son, Cornelis.

Rawlinson's manager James Ward confirmed the split last night.

"I have spoken to Jana this evening and she has sadly confirmed that she and Chris are currently spending some time apart while they work on some issues in regards to their relationship," he said.

Rawlinson, 26, has been staying with her parents in Sydney for the past week while she fulfilled sponsorship engagements.

Chris, who has also acted as the champion hurdler's coach, remained at the family home in Canberra with their son.

The pair had a whirlwind courtship after getting together at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Chris moved from Britain to Australia soon afterwards to become her lover and coach.

The marital crisis comes at a critical time for Rawlinson, who has been battling to return to the track to defend her world title in August.

A toe injury forced her out of the Beijing Olympics and she hasn't raced for more than 12 months.

The couple moved from Sydney to Canberra late last year to be closer to the state of the art facilities at the Australian Institute of Sport.

They have become frustrated in the national capital, particularly Chris who won a Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles gold medal representing Great Britain.

Last year he announced he was making a comeback at 36 with his intention to represent Australia at the world championships.

He took out Australian citizenship in January and competed at the World Athletics Tour event in Melbourne last month but was a no-show at the world championships trials in Brisbane two weeks later.

The couple's house in Canberra is on the market with Chris believed to be sounding out jobs back in his homeland in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics.

Athletics Australia has been monitoring its track star with head coach Eric Hollingsworth working closely with Rawlinson during her domestic trauma.

Rawlinson, who won her first world title in 2003, planned her first pregnancy straight after the Commonwealth Games victory with Cornelis born in December.

Remarkably, she returned to the track inside five months and won her second world title in Osaka in August 2007.

During her time in Sydney over the past week Rawlinson has trained with experienced coach Penny Gillies.

Since her 2003 triumph, Rawlinson has moved around continually. She lived in Victoria in the lead-up to the 2006 Olympic Games while being coached by Phil King, the husband of Olympic champion Debbie Flintoff-King

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