For the next couple of months, I will review where we are in the Olympic qualification process. I will take each countries and try to identify some facts about them : Who was at the 2000-2004 and 2008 games? Who were the potential athletes in 2009 – 2010? Who are the potential athletes since the beginning of the qualification process and how can they qualify?

Pour les prochains mois, je vais faire le point sur le processus de qualification pour les Jeux olympiques. Je vais prendre chaque pays et je vais faire ressortir certains aspects : Qui sont les Olympiens ? Qui étaient les athlètes potentiels en 2009-2010, Qui sont les athlètes potentiels maintenant et quels sont les critères de sélection pour l’équipe.

 

Week 2 : Australia- Men

Olympians :

2000 :

– Miles Stewart (6^th)

– Craig Walton (27^th)

– Peter Robertson (34^th)

2004 :

– Simon Thompson (10^th)

– Peter Robertson (24^th)

2008 :

– Courtney Atkinson (11^th)

– Brad Kahlefeldt (16^th)

Facts :

– 4 Olympic medals won by Australia since 2000. The most by any country. (All won by women)

– 156 medals won in World Cup events (77 for men, 79 for women)

– 47 World championship medals (women and men combined) (2^nd place = USA with 19…)

– No Olympic medals on the men side. (Best = Stewart 6^th place at Sydney)

 

2009 – 2010 : Who were the athletes

2009 :

– Courtney Atkinson (7^th Dextro Ranking) (2008 Olympian)

– Brad Kahlefeldt (12^th Dextro Ranking) (2008 Olympian)

– Dan Wilson (25^th Dextro Ranking)

– James Seear (27^th Dextro Ranking)

– Brendan Sexton (61^th Dextro Ranking)

2010 :

– Brad Kahlefeldt (3^rd Dextro Ranking) (2008 Olympian)

– Courtney Atkinson (10^th Dextro Ranking) (2008 Olympian)

– James Seear (29^th Dextro Ranking)

– Dan Wilson (34^th Dextro Ranking)

– David Dellow (59^th Dextro Ranking)

– Jamies Huggett (61^th Dextro Ranking)

– Brendan Sexton (70^th Dextro Ranking)

 

2011 : Who we have now

Tri Australia criteria  :

– Same as the women

– Automatic nomination : Win the 2011 London event and finish top 3 in the 2011 ranking

– Remaining athletes will be determined by a discretionary process

– None of the athletes satisfied the automatic nomination criteria

So we have (order according to the ITU simulation) :

Brad Kahlefeldt: 10^th Dextro Ranking, 8^th Olympic Ranking (2008 Olympian)

Brendan Sexton: 17^th Dextro Ranking, 24^th  Olympic Ranking

Courtney Atkinson: 50^th Dextro Ranking, 34^th Olympic Ranking (2008 Olympian)

Dan Wilson : 65^th Dextro Ranking, 69^th Olympic Ranking

Ryan Fisher : 97^th Dextro Ranking, 70^th Olympic Ranking

Aaron Royle : 79^th Dextro Ranking, 78^th Olympic Ranking

Others :

James Seear : 116^th Dextro Ranking, 89^th Olympic Simulation

Chris McCormack : 85^th Dextro Ranking, 148^th Olympic Simulation

 

What is interesting :

– Biggest improvement since 2009 is without any doubt Brendan Sexton (61th – 70^th – 17^th)

– Biggest tumble down : James Seear : (27^th– 29^th – 116^th). Wilson also lost a lot of rank but it’s because he only did 1 race in 2011. Seear did 9.

– Ryan Fisher is only 20 years old. He is the next one to watch in Australia.

– What Whiftield had to say on Twitter about Brad Kahlefeldt : Dear Triathlon Australia. Thank you for not pre selecting Brad Kahlefeldt and making him race hard in April #muchappreciated #ridiculous

– What Kahlefeldt himself had to say about that on twitter : Would love to start planning next year,but seems Australia can not even decide on a team..

– My team, if the games were tomorrow : Kahlefeldt, Sexton, Atkinson (haven’t finished a race since Madrid but this is not to his disadvantage in a certain way. We don’t know his level of fitness. He had two DNF : Kitzbuehel and Beijing. He was well established in the front pack due to a very good swim in both races. Based on his experience and past results, Tri Australia would have to select him if the games were tomorrow, in my opinion. My team alternate would be a hard choice between Wilson and Fisher. Wilson because he raced only one time in 2011 with a decent result and he had a strong finish in 2010 with a win in Tongyeong. Fisher because of what he did in Auckland and to prepare him for 2016 and beyond. I would choose Wilson because Fisher is only 20 and hasn’t raced in a single WCS yet.

What’s your team ?

Next week: Russia