After a couple of major Mixed Team Relay results, including a stunning 3rd place at 2023 World Championships in Hamburg, Switzerland have all but locked up qualification for the relay event at the Paris Olympics.
As a result, they can plan to send a team of two men and two women to the Games.
With Olympic success in years prior, such as through Sven Riederer and then Nicola Spirig, Switzerland have celebrated medals in the men’s and women’s competitions. A third Olympic event, the relay, was then introduced in Tokyo. To date, only Britain has won medals in all three triathlon events at the Games however Switzerland will look to complete the set this summer.
Who has been selected already?
To secure first priority selection, an athlete requires two results that meet a set performance standard. They either had to have recorded two top-8 WTCS finishes in the qualification window or logged a top-8 WTCS finish and won a medal at either the European Championships (over the Olympic distance) or at the European Games.
Julie Derron managed to achieve the top-8 WTCS requirement at three consecutive events. First, she finished 7th in Sunderland. She then placed 8th at the Paris Test Event to book her spot. For good measure, she added an 8th place in Pontevedra. Being in the top-30 of the Olympic rankings – Derron is ranked 17th – she also has the upper hand over any other first priority candidates.
Cathia Schär may also have hit the criteria although there is a slight question mark around her results. While her 8th place at WTCS Hamburg ticked one half of the first priority box, her 3rd place at the European Championships in Madrid has an element of doubt. On the surface, it satisfied the criteria. However, as the race was converted into a duathlon it might not technically count. That will likely be a decision for the Swiss selectors.
Either way, Schär has more than enough results (through top-16 WTCS finishes) to earn a priority two selection.
On the men’s side, Adrien Briffod is safe. He finished 6th at WTCS Yokohama to get his first priority quest rolling. Like Schär, he also finished 3rd at the European Championships in Madrid and the duathlon doubt remains. However, Briffod also won a bronze medal at the European Games. As such, he has met the first priority criteria.
Right now, Briffod is ranked 33rd in the Olympic rankings and will need to secure a top-30 slot to fend off any potential first priority rivals.
Who could take the remaining slots?
Women
Even if her Madrid bronze does not count, Schär will almost certainly take the second women’s slot after Derron.
No one else on the women’s side has a top-8 finish in the WTCS nor does Switzerland have another woman in the top-100 of the Olympic rankings. For reference, Schär is ranked 33rd.
Schär has also been a core component of the Mixed Team Relay in recent times. She played her part in helping the team win bronze in Hamburg, for example. As such, it is highly likely that she will be selected.
A big start to the season from any of Nora Gmür, Alissa Kong or Anja Weber could put them on the team in a last minute twist. In all likelihood, though, they will probably look ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 instead.
Men
One slot remains after Briffod on the men’s side and Max Studer is primed to take it. A top-10 finisher at the last Olympics, Studer opened his 2023 season with a 9th place at WTCS Abu Dhabi, narrowly missing the top-8 WTCS finish requirement. In the summer, he went on to place 6th in Hamburg. He thus needs a second top-8 WTCS result before the end of the qualification window to lock in his place.
He also stands 36th in the Olympic rankings and so could do with jumping into the top-30 to overcome any other teammates that achieve two top-8 finishes.
However, none of Studer’s rivals have a WTCS top-8 in the relevant time period. Simon Westermann, Sylvain Fridelance and Maxime Fluri will all be champing at the bit to hit their top-8 finishes this season. Given the age of Westermann and Fluri, in particular, they can be expected to improve.
Fridelance is also an experienced campaigner and has the ability to hit the top-8 criteria that would earn him first priority. Should Studer fail to hit a top-8, the slot would then drop to the second priority and top-16 finishes could be enough to put an athlete in contention.
Right now, though, Studer seems the likeliest to join Briffod. He has met the second priority criteria already and is only one finish away from nailing the first priority.
