As we enter 2023, we are only four months away from the end of the First Period in which athletes can score points towards Olympic qualification. The qualifying procedure for how countries get slots at the Olympics has been known for some time. However, just because an athlete qualifies, that does not mean they will be picked for the Games.
Instead, National Governing Bodies are in charge of selecting which athletes fill the Olympic slots that have been earned. Every country has a slightly different selection policy and today we are looking at the British policy.
Published in December 2022, Britain was one of the first countries to publish its selection criteria. Having won seven individual medals from the past three Olympics, there will be a lot of pressure for Britain to maximise its medal chances in Paris.
How will the athletes be picked?
There are four stages at which athletes can be picked for Team Great Britain.
Phase 1 of the policy covers individual automatic nominations. To be nominated under this phase, an athlete must medal at the Paris Olympic Test Event and the WTCS Final in Pontevedra. Alternatively, if an athlete won an individual medal at the Tokyo Olympics, they must have won a WTCS medal in 2022 or 2023 to earn automatic nomination. CORRECTION: An individual medallist from the Tokyo Olympics will also have to medal at the Paris Olympic Test Event in addition to the already-mentioned criteria to secure automatic selection.
The selectors then move to Phase 2. If places remain after Phase 1, an athlete may be picked under a discretionary nomination for the individual event. To earn this selection, an athlete must medal at a WTCS event in 2023 or the Paris Test Event. On the other hand, if there is an athlete that is a “clear and obvious individual medal contender for the Games”, British Triathlon may hold back a slot to use to pick said athlete at a later Phase.
The selection panel has a range of factors it can use towards making a judgement on being a clear and obvious contender, such as performances at Olympic distance WTCS races.
Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 nominations will take place in October 2023. Should there be any spots left, the policy will move to Phase 3 in June 2024.
In Phase 3, an athlete can only be nominated for the individual event if they are a “realistic individual medal contender”. To determine this, the selectors will identify an Olympic distance WTCS race in 2024 to use as a mini test.
Finally, if any slots remain, Phase 4 will kick in (also in June 2024) to select any relay specialists or Pilot athletes. The priority in Phase 4 is to find athletes that can maximise medal opportunities for the relay or already picked athletes.
Who does the policy favour?
The clear beneficiaries of this policy are Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee. As individual silver medallists from the Tokyo Olympics and having both won WTCS races in 2022, they will be well-placed to secure automatic nomination for the Paris Olympics.
On the women’s side, with Sophie Coldwell and Beth Potter having medalled in WTCS races in 2022, each can feel confident of having a shot of being selected under Phase 1 or 2.
Way too early team predictions
Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee will make the team. Based on the criteria, they have essentially qualified already.
As things stand, that leaves two women’s slots and one men’s slot to fill.
As mentioned above, Sophie Coldwell and Beth Potter are WTCS medallists. If one of them medals in Paris, they will almost certainly secure their ticket to Paris. Moreover, if they both medal at a WTCS race, they will be picked.
The only wrinkle will be if another woman can medal in the WTCS in 2023, such as Jess Learmonth. It will also be interesting see how younger athletes like Kate Waugh develop this season.
It is hard to see Britain picking any relay specialists or Pilots in the women’s field. As a result, the team will probably be Taylor-Brown, Potter and Coldwell.
On the men’s side, the second athlete will almost certainly be Jonathan Brownlee. He could secure his slot with a WTCS medal in 2023. After winning a silver at WTCS Cagliari in 2022, there is every chance he does so again in 2023. With no other British man in the world top-50, it is hard to see another British man medalling in the WTCS this year (although we could be wrong).
Even if Brownlee isn’t picked in Phase 2, he could likely get the nod in Phase 3 or 4. The British team would be reluctant to leave his experience at home when the relay will be a particularly close race.
As Britain don’t currently have a third man in line to qualify, the likes of Sam Dickinson and Connor Bentley will probably miss out this time.
You can find the full British selection policy here.
