Following the unveiling of the Paris Olympic Test Event start lists, the stage has been set for the world’s leading triathletes to try out the Olympic course ahead of the 2024 Games. Results at the Test Event can also be used towards an athlete’s WTCS ranking, adding further value to the event.
For many, though, the importance of the race comes from one simple fact. Several countries will use the event as the first selection race in the build-up to the Paris Olympics. The Test Event will therefore be a gateway event into the Olympics for much of the field.
With that in mind, read on to find out what the athletes of various countries will have to do in Paris to secure their Olympic places in August.
For the sake of simplicity, the focus will only be on the Test Event itself. Some countries require results in Paris to go in conjunction with a particular finish at the WTCS Final in Pontevedra. This article, though, will focus on the first step of any such combination.
France
The home team have a simple equation at the Test Event. A medal will be required at the Test Event to secure a first priority slot on the French team. Anyone that medals, then, will be pretty much guaranteed to return to the Paris start line in 2024.
As a secondary criteria, an athlete can still put themselves in contention to qualify with a top-8 finish in Paris. They would then need to win a medal in Pontevedra, though, so the top-8 criteria does not guarantee a place.
All three of France’s female representatives – Cassandre Beuagrand, Leonie Periault and Emma Lombardi – have won a WTCS medal this season. Although, Lombardi is the only one to have done so over the Olympic distance.
On the men’s side, Leo Bergere is the only medallist from the 2023 Series and is the reigning world champion. Meanwhile, Dorian Coninx and Pierre Le Corre have both produced top-5 WTCS finishes over the Olympic distance this season while Vincent Luis is a proven quantity.
Anyone of the French team, then, could conceivably win the medal they need.
Britain
To earn a Phase 1 selection for Britain, an athlete will need to win a medal in Paris and Pontevedra.
UPDATED: As defending individual Olympic medallists and subsequent WTCS medallists, Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown will only need to medal at the Test Event rather than also medal in Pontevedra to secure their Olympic slots.
If an athlete other than Yee or Taylor-Brown medals at only Paris, they can be a Phase 2 selection. However, any WTCS medal in 2023 will also satisfy this point. As such, a medal is not strictly necessary for the likes of Beth Potter and Sophie Coldwell in terms of a Phase 2 nomination. One point to note is that meeting the Phase 2 criteria entitles an athlete to consideration, not automatic selection. Unless an athlete hits the Phase 1 criteria, their fate will be at the discretion of the British selectors.
For Potter, it would offer a first Olympic distance medal of the year which could prove helpful, although with three WTCS medals to her name it is fair to say her medal potential is well-established.
Thereafter, an Olympic distance race will be used in 2024 to fill any remaining places.
A medal for Kate Waugh or Olivia Mathias would vault them into contention for selection and would change the calculus so their performances will need to be watched closely.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Brownlee won a medal at WTCS Cagliari in 2022 and will need to capture that form soon if he is to be a Phase 2 pick. Realistically, though, he will likely make the team at minimum as a discretionary pick for the Mixed Team Relay.
When it comes to the British policy, then, it is not so much that the criteria are hard. Rather, the issue is that the policy has been structured to reflect the existing status quo. Whereas anyone on the French team could displace one another, the British system is much more hierarchical and makes use of a lot more discretionary clauses.
USA
The American selection policy puts a lot of emphasis on the Test Event.
If two athletes finish in the top-3 (per gender), they will both be selected. If one athlete finishes in the top-3 and another in the top-8, both will be selected. If there are no medallists, the Americans will then select the highest finisher inside the top-8. Should no one finish inside the top-8, the places will roll forward to Pontevedra. It is a simple and clean procedure.
The entire women’s team (Taylor Spivey, Taylor Knibb, Summer Rappaport, Kirsten Kasper and Katie Zaferes) have top-8 finishes in the WTCS this year so have proven their ability to meet the criteria. Spivey, Knibb and Rappaport have also won WTCS medals in 2023.
On the men’s side, Matthew McElroy finished 8th at WTCS Abu Dhabi which stands as the top result of the American men starting in Paris. If he can replicate that feat at the Test Event, he will qualify for the Games.
New Zealand
New Zealand has ostensibly assigned a lot of value in their selection policy to the Test Event. In reality, though, the race will probably not be as significant as it could be.
To start with the automatic selection, a podium in Paris will be required to meet the criteria. However, it is important to examine the rest of the policy. A top-8 finish in Paris will be enough if an athlete has has a WTCS top-8 to their name.
However, if an athlete has two top-8 finishes in the WTCS in the Olympic Qualification window, they are also in line to qualify even if they do not perform in Paris. If more than two athletes achieve the two top-8 finishes criteria, the finishing order in Paris will be used to separate them. On the flip side, if there are spots unfilled they will be awarded on a discretionary basis.
Hayden Wilde already has two top-8 WTCS finishes so he has essentially qualified for the Games regardless of the outcome in Paris. A medal would be nice to secure automatic nomination, but it is not strictly necessary.
Neither Tayler Reid nor Dylan McCullough have logged a top-8 WTCS finish in the qualification window. They have not been far away from doing so but for both to do so twice going forward would be a little out of step with the results of the past 14 months. Wilde, then, should be safe, leaving Reid and McCullough to fight for the second slot.
Nicole Van Der Kaay has one top-8 finish after her 6th place in Hamburg. A top-8 in Paris would therefore confirm her Olympic place. Ainsley Thorpe is the only other female starter for New Zealand in Paris. Brea Roderick made her WTCS debut this year and could push for selection, but she may be one for the future.
With the relay also as a factor, Van Der Kaay and Thorpe will probably be safe with discretionary selections even if they miss the requisite two top-8 finishes.
Spain
Spain treat the Test Event simply in their selection policy.
For the men, an athlete must win a medal to earn the first priority in selection. If no one does so, the first priority will roll down to the athlete with the best world ranking.
For the women, an athlete must finish inside the top-8 to earn the first priority. Again, if no one does so, the athlete with the best world ranking will receive the first priority.
Miriam Casillas Garcia is the highest ranked Spanish woman and probably the likeliest to hit the top-8 finish in Paris. Even if she does not get the result at the Test Event she wants, she should be safe.
Antonio Serrat Seoane has a healthy lead in the rankings so can maybe afford to not medal in Paris. However a medal would make the rest of his season a lot less stressful.
Australia
Australia have kept the criteria simple when it comes to Paris. Anyone that finishes inside the top-8 at the Test Event (up to two per gender) will be selected for the Olympic Games.
Matthew Hauser is an obvious favourite for the men. However, none of the other Australian athletes on the start line have a WTCS top-8 this year so it is hard to say who will be likeliest to meet the criteria.
Germany
Germany has a similar approach to Paris as Australia with one small twist.
The top two finishers inside the top-8 will qualify so long as they are also in the top-30 of the Olympic Qualification rankings.
All five of the German women on the Paris start list have a WTCS top-8 to their name in 2023. All five are also well inside the top-30 of the Olympic rankings. To be honest, you could run the women’s race ten times and you would probably get ten different configurations of the German qualifiers. All five have the ability to make the top-8 and it will come down to whoever wakes up on the right side of the bed.
Only Jonas Schomburg and Tim Hellwig have top-8 finishers this year in the WTCS on the men’s side, although Lasse Lührs is a WTCS medallist from 2022. Chances are at least one German male slot will be assigned in Paris. The identity of the recipient, though, is hard to predict.
Italy
A top-8 finish in Paris will automatically secure an Olympic spot for an Italian athlete.
Michele Sarzilla and Gianluca Pozzatti have finished in the top-8 of a WTCS race before and will have the chance to do so in Paris. Verena Steinhauser, Ilaria Zane and Bianca Seregni will likewise have the opportunity to meet the criteria. Of that trio, Seregni may have the best shot if she can detonate the swim and force a swim breakaway. She’s done it several times, including most recently at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup, and it could put her inside the top-8.
Japan
Although the first selection priority will go to any athlete inside the top-20 of the Olympic Qualification rankings, an athlete can earn Olympic selection with a top-8 finish in Paris.
Moreover, if a Japanese athlete finishes within 30 seconds of 8th place in Paris, they can still be selected.
Kenji Nener is inside the top-20 of the Olympic rankings so should be safe. A top-8 finish would nonetheless do no harm to his case for selection. Meanwhile, Yuko Takahashi has slipped out of the top-20 and so a top-8 finish has become all the more pressing.
Takumi Hojo, Aoba Yasumatsu, Ren Sato and Jumpei Furuya will all push for their top-8 finish. However, none have finished in the top-8 of a WTCS event his year so it could be a step too far.
Portugal
The Olympic Test Event holds no intrinsic value in the Portuguese selection policy.
The Mixed Team Relay is the first priority and the Test Event does not feature anywhere in that set of criteria.
If Portugal do not qualify a relay, the first priority will go to the top athlete in the Olympic rankings. Then an athlete with a top-3 finish in the overall 2023 WTCS can be added to the team.
Paris, then, does not directly matter in the Portuguese policy. However, Vasco Vilaca can seal his Olympic place by finishing on the WTCS overall podium this year. A high finish in Paris could be crucial on that front. At the same time, Vilaca will likely be highest ranked in Olympic rankings, rendering the WTCS aspect moot.
Neither Belgium nor Switzerland specifically highlight the Test Event in their selection policies. WTCS performances count for both countries; for example, a top-12 finish in the WTCS Final or top-8 at a WTCS event will suffice for the Belgium team.
As the Test Event has been included in the WTCS rankings it could potentially count as a WTCS event. Without an explicit mention, though, the value of the Test Event is tenuous and could well be open to challenge by any post-selection appeal.
In Paris, then, there will be a number of sub-plots to track. By the time the racing is done, a plethora of Olympic places may have been secured.
