Contrary to speculations, the ITU Des Moines World Cup will be a swim-bike-run event and should thus remain the final qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Team, race organizers announced earlier today.
Recent flooding in Iowa had forced race organizers to move the Hy-Vee Triathlon and World Cup event out of downtown Des Moines to Valley Southwoods Freshman High School in West Des Moines. Initially the swim was cancelled for the age group, youth elite and junior elite races and the water for the elite race was monitored. But by Wednesday the flood waters and water bacteria levels had dropped to an acceptable level for a safe swim for all the events.
"Safety of the athletes has always been our number one priority. Every day that the lake levels dropped and the sun stayed out, we were more optimistic," said Randy Edeker, co-chair of the Hy-Vee Triathlon. "It has always been our deep desire to deliver a swim to both elite and age-group athletes. We were told to hope for a miracle, and it looks like we got one."
That means that the final male and female team members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team should be determined during the race based on a points system that calculates the best two finishes of each of the remaining competitors over the three-race series. Laura Bennett and Jarrod Shoemaker already earned their tickets as the top Americans at the 2007 Beijing World Cup. Julie Swail Ertel and Matt Reed then grabbed their spots as the top Americans at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa, AL. The final 2 starters plus the 2 alternates will be announced immediately after the race.
The race will remain in West Des Moines with the swim taking place in Blue Heron Lake in West Des Moines' Raccoon River Park. If the elite race cannot be held or is changed to a duathlon (run-bike-run) format, the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, July 12 will serve as the final event in the three-race selection process.
Regardless of where that final event takes place the women's battle is now down to Sarah Haskins Kortuem and Sarah Groff. For the men, it’ll be decided between Andy Potts, Hunter Kemper, Doug Friman and Brian Fleischmann.
Sarah Groff needs to finish as the top American in order to claim the final women's spot. If she does not finish as the top American, the final slot goes to Haskins. It is a bit more complicated for the men though. Brian Fleischmann or Doug Friman need to finish as the top American and neither Hunter Kemper nor Andy Potts can finish better than third. If they don’t, it will come down to whoever finishes higher between Kemper and Potts.
