Flora Duffy put in a majestic performance to win her fourth world title at WTCS Abu Dhabi. Her winning margin was so big that any penalty she could have received would not have mattered; however there was an instance in the race in which she was shown with a mysterious swim penalty that vanished shortly after.
Midway through the bike, a 15 second swim penalty for swim behaviour appeared alongside Flora Duffy in the live timing. Maya Kingma also received the same penalty and it was noticeable that two of the front group would have to adjust their races. Duffy’s penalty, however, was not announced by the commentary at the same time the Kingma penalty was noted. Shortly after, the penalty disappeared from beside Duffy’s name.
Had the penalty been quietly swept away to avoid compromising the grand race finale? Or did the officials make a mistake in adding it to Duffy’s name in the first place?
To be clear, all Duffy did was race brilliantly and earn her world title. The question here is what happened behind the scenes. The penalty was clearly visible in the live timing. For it to vanish without acknowledgement was a little odd.
It could have just been a mistake on the part of the live timing. For example, it could have been a technical error and nothing more and there may have never actually been a penalty. If that is the case World Triathlon can probably confirm it with ease.
Another explanation could be that a penalty was indeed awarded and was quickly appealed. The judge that issued it may have reviewed a quick appeal and changed their mind. If that happened, it is good to see that the race referees are able to consult footage and amend decisions as appropriate.
Or, a final explanation could be that the penalty was expunged in order to preserve the grand finale.
It is hard not to think back to the men’s race at this year’s Commonwealth Games in which Hayden Wilde lost his shot at the win to a penalty. Once he lodged a formal protest after the race, there was a small cloud over the results.
Abu Dhabi was meant to be a massive showdown between the two best women in the sport (as it proved to be) and it would be understandable if World Triathlon wanted to avoid a similar cloud over the women’s WTCS and so swept the penalty under the rug.
Fortunately, as already stated, Duffy’s margin of victory was so big it did not matter.
However, the phantom penalty does raise an awkward question. Was it removed due to an error or was it removed to preserve the sporting conditions?
It would be reassuring if there could be some official confirmation that the swim penalty appeared due to an error and that was the reason for its removal. Even then, it is not wholly comforting that penalties can appear for audiences to see so mistakenly.
At the end of the day, if penalties are to be a part of the sport and the product, they should be handled with care and, going forwards, perhaps they should only be issued when there is certainty they won’t vanish ten minutes later.
Let us know below if you think there was a better way the appearance of a potential swim penalty could have been handled.
