U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM AND TRIALS
• Olympic coach: Blessing is USAT's, athletes' choice
• After the Trials: a message from the Lindquists
• Radkewich, Bolton round out U.S. men's Olympic slots
• A few foreigners leaving town with more than prize money
• Taormina grateful for Lindquist's efforts
• Taormina swims and bikes to big lead, solos in.
• $100,000 Olympic Trials feature top Americans, few others
• USAT’s $100,000 trials open to internationals
• Kemper alone brings US men to 3 slots
• Kemper keeps the US pressure on
• US men still stalled for Sydney
• Suddenly US men fall fast in rankings
June 6, Colorado Springs, Colorado (www.slowtwitch.com):
Michelle Blessing, the Colorado Springs coach who has quietly worked in the background for USA Triathlon the last several seasons, has emerged as USAT's choice as Olympic coach.
Her selection was announced Monday by Steve Locke, the USAT executive director. His announcement made no mention of the coach who would be the logical choice, USAT national teams coach Matt Haugen.
The decision to name Blessing came after the six Olympians made their opinions known, and USAT concurred, on which coach they wanted to accompany team manager Tim Yount to the Olympics in Sydney.
The choice was essentially between Blessing, a longtime assistant within the USAT programs, and Haugen. Those two were the only ones who had conducted USAT-sanctioned Olympic Preparation Clinics for some of the would-be Olympians.
The most recent camp for national team members, at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, in early May, was attended by Blessing, but not by Haugen. Blessing's participation was made possible because Jennifer Gutierrez, who claimed the early Olympic slot at the ITU World Cup in Sydney, paid Blessing's expenses, and ungrudgingly allowed all the other would-be Olympians in camp to take advantage of Blessing's expertise.
Said Locke on Monday of the Olympic appointment: "Michelle, along with Olympic team leader Tim Yount, will be magnificent in this role, due to her very strong organizational skills and knowledge of each of the Olympic team members.
"And, speaking of coaches, congratulations to the coaches who have coached members of the 2000 Olympic team. Those folks include Michelle Blessing, Joe Friel, George Dallam, Lew Kidder and Troy Jacobson."
Blessing is the personal coach of two of the Olympians, Gutierrez and Nick Radkewich. As for the others, Friel is the coach of Ryan Bolton; Dallam -- also a former national coach -- is the coach of Hunter Kemper; Kidder is the coach of Sheila Taormina; and Jacobson is the coach of Joanna Zeiger.
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After the Trials: a message from the Lindquists
June 1, Wilson, Wyoming (www.slowtwitch.com):
Barb Lindquist, America's highest-ranked triathlete, tried twice -- and collapsed twice -- in her effort to make the US Olympic triathlon team.
First in Sydney on April 16, she led all the Americans until she could run no more, before finishing 12th (and third American, when only the first secured a Sydney spot). Next, she raced again as hard as she could in the US Olympic Trials Triathlon in Dallas - only to collapse again late in the run and fail to finish.
Said the mother of Siri Lindley, the team alternate, just minutes after the race: "It was a real tragedy that Barb collapsed in the run. If anyone deserves to go to Sydney, it's Barb Lindquist."
Now comes a statement from the Lindquists themselves - Barb and Loren, her husband and coach. "It has taken a few days to process the emotions," Loren Lindquist said. They write about the May 27 race:
Reflection of a Dream
Barb Lindquist has shown the commitment to excellence to be the best. She has led the Americans for three years, obtaining more podium finishes than the rest of the US men's and women's teams put together.
However with the US selection process and two unfortunate results, Barb has missed an Olympic opportunity. She may not be on the Olympic team, but she is still on the best team of all, God's team.
We love the sport for the journey and the people we have met along the way. Both Barb and I would like thank everyone for the letters of support. They have helped ease the pain in this difficult time. We have the faith that when one door closes, another door opens.
(Editor's note: Barb and Loren may be reached at (lindquist@jhinet.com).
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Radkewich, Bolton round out U.S. men's Olympic slots
May 28, Dallas, Texas (www.slowtwitch.com):
As opposed to yesterday's morning steam, clouds, and breeze, today dawned cool and clear. But, the lack of clouds was a portent. A clear morning meant there was no ceiling to keep the evening's warmth in. But it also foretold a lack of shade to keep the later heat out. The age-group race -- held in the early morning -- was therefore contested in cool, virtually perfect, racing conditions. The male pros started at 10AM, an hour later than the women's start yesterday, and an hour closer to the mid-day heat.
Americans Hunter Kemper (who had already qualified), Victor Plata, Ryan Bolton, Nick Radkewich and Michael Smedley were thought to be the class of the field, as far as Americans were concerned. But Radkewich was nonetheless a question mark. Though the top-ranked American, he had a very tough Spring, racing often to help America keep its three slots; but racing, frankly, quite badly compared to his previous performances.
Aussies Chris Hill, Levi Maxwell, and Miles Stewart, and Venezuelan Gilberto Gonzales, promised to mix things up. Darkhorses Doug Friman, Wes Hobson, and Tony DeBoom could not be discounted.
At 10AM the starting horn launched 22 men -- sans wetsuits -- into 80-degree water. Friman led a pack of almost 15 men out of the water. Within 22 seconds all but two of the men excited the water behind him. Bolton, however, was the person unlucky enough to be one of those left behind. Incredibly Miles Stewart -- a medal favorite and a champion swimmer -- came out of the water well off the back.
Concern abounded in the second group, as an Australian-led front pack would render problematic any chance of running down those who exited the bike-leg with a sizeable lead. Any Americans lucky enough to be towed along in front might have an insurmountable gap.
Sure enough, by the end of the first lap, what had been 22-seconds had turned into a minute lead for a breakaway group of the Aussies Maxwell and Hill, along with Radkewich, Friman and Kemper. The main pack included Smedley, Plata, Hobson, Gonzales, Rukosuev. A third pack, led by a clearly concerned Bolton, struggled 30-seconds behind the chase pack.
A second lap exertion by the in-rythm lead group saw the lead extend to 1:30. By the end of the third lap Smedley had dropped out with a cleat problem and Stewart had dropped out entirely. Meanwhile Mark Lees, of Australia, had taken over the third-pack chase duties and had pulled Bolton up to the chase pack.
With two laps to go, the race began to sort itself out. It was now apparent the chase pack was not going to catch the leaders. The question was, could the pure runners in the second pack catch Friman for that precious second spot on the Olympic Team?
But the lead pack of five had, by now, a two minute bulge. Hill, Maxwell, Kemper, Friman and Radkewich all looked to be running comfortably as they exited the transition. Plata, Bolton, Gonzales and DeBoom took off with a great sense of urgency two-minutes in arrears.
One lap down on the run Kemper and Hill were running side by side. Kemper looked smooth and controlled. Ten meters back Radkewich also had his race under control. Forty seconds later Friman went by, running well, but just barely enough -- mathematically -- to hold off the hard-charging chasers.
At the end of lap-two a partisan crowd of thousands cheered wildly as Kemper ran through the transition area. Behind him Hill was starting to lose contact. Radkewich had caught Hill and the two ran side by side into lap three. Friman had maintained his fourth-place position but Bolton and Gonzales were mere steps back, and both were running strongly in the Texas heat.
Kemper -- not to be challenged today -- run uncontested across the finish line. Hill had caught back up to, and shaken, Radkewich, but only because Radkewich knew a conservative and safe run meant a spot on the Olympic Team. His third place finish earned him a trip to Sydney. Gonzalez had the fastest run of the day, turning in an amazingly strong 32-plus split to pull away for fourth place. Bolton overtook Friman and finished a strong fifth, and in so doing grabbed the third and final spot on the U.S. Men's Olympic Triathlon Team. In a triumphant finish for Plata, and heartbreaker for Friman, Plata ran into the alternate spot just meters in front of the race's early leader.
America's way of choosing its Olympic teams is often criticized as being unforgiving and arbitrary, ignoring the race environment on any given day, and the totality of an athlete's recent athletic achievements. But the use of a sudden-death -- or sudden-life -- trials (depending on one's point of view) is often vindicated, and such was the case today in Dallas. There can be little argument that Kemper, Radkewich, and Bolton are America's most talented Olympic-style racers, and today this was demonstrated on the race course, as well as on paper.--DE
(On-site reporting by J. Grinder).
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A few foreign men may exit Dallas with slightly fatter wallets
May 28, Dallas, Texas (www.slowtwitch.com):
Racing makes strange bedfellows. Triathlon racing has turned the corner -- at least in its draft-legal iteration -- and has gone the way of cycling, in terms of on-the-fly deal making. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
According to one male pro, the men's packs were the scene of serendipitous high-stakes negotiations taking place at race pace.
Both the men's front and chasing packs contained foreigners who had little on the line compared to Americans also esconced in those packs. The front group needed to put some distance between it and the chasers. Those chasing had to limit their time losses during the bike leg.
So, on at least two occasions, according to our source, those not racing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team found themselves in positions to capitalize on their bike skills, and became domestiques-for-a-day (or more likely, for an hour, only until the run start). All this according to one male pro in the thick of things (one of those who, in fact, played let's-make-a-deal).
Such arrangements are nothing new and are not frowned on, at least in bike racing. Two such racers might find themselves out in front of a chasing pack, for example, and one might be willing to do the lion's share of the work so long as the other -- who might perhaps be a sprint specialist anyway -- is allowed to solo across the line unchallenged. That way, both athletes stay out in front of their chasers. The payoff? Perhaps a split of the entire share of the prize money. Perhaps the loser may take home even more than the winner.
Less clear is how this will play well in the not-so-culturally-in-tune triathlon audience. But that was less on the minds of some U.S. racers than the two spots up for grabs on America's Olympic team. So, a few of non-Americans reportedly took a few more turns at the front of their groups than might have otherwise been the case, and went home a little wealthier for it.
All in a day's work.--DE
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Taormina grateful for Lindquist's efforts
May 28, Dallas, Texas (www.slowtwitch.com):
Sheila Taormina had perhaps her easiest win since becoming a pro yesterday, and in the biggest race of her career. She has her chief rival to thank for it.
Australia's Nicole Hackett was supposed to make the trip north to help out her friend Barb Lindquist, by swimming with her, and working with her during the bike segment. Why? Other than a fast friendship between the two, Hackett's best chance in the Sydney Olympics rests on whether enough of those who have Hackett's same strengths -- a strong swim and bike -- will be on the starting line and willing to do their share of front-pack bike work. Lindquist is just such an athlete. Would Lindquist have made the team, Hackett's chances of medaling would have gone up.
But Hackett is reportedly nursing some nagging leg tenderness, and chose to pass up the U.S. trials (also open to high-ranking foreigners). That left only fellow American Taormina as a viable tactical ally for Lindquist. The two would almost certainly exit the water in front of any challengers.
"Barb and I had talked the day before the race," said Taormina. "She was to be the decision maker. After we got onto the bike and made it to the first turnaround, we would assess our situation, look at how much of a lead we had. She was to decide whether we'd sit up and wait for the other girls, or go for it.
"We were shocked to see the lead we had at the first turnaround. So we both put our heads down and rode. We worked equally. But it wasn't Barb's day. At Sydney World Cup we were in a similar situation, and I couldn't work hardly at all, it was all I could do to keep contact with the pack. I was breathing really hard in that race, and Barb was so strong. But yesterday, Barb was breathing hard on the bike. She certainly did her share of the work, but she had a harder time of it.
"We had great communication throughout the bike leg. Positive communication. We were each other's cheerleaders. I had a great time on the bike. It was a lot of fun. As we got closer to the end, we reminded each other to take water, and get ready for the run."
So many times in the past it has been Lindquist who has gone on to a big finish. This time, it was Taormina. "I've had problems in the heat before, so I was concerned. But I realized that I didn't have to run all out. I didn't have to go six-minute miles right away. I had a bit of a cushion. That was reinforced by people on the course, like Lew Kidder."
Kidder is another person Taormina mentions, over and over again. He is more responsible for Taormina being on her second straight Olympic team than anyone. She competed in her first triathlon -- a race Kidder directs -- in Michigan two years ago. He called her two months later and said, "Hey, you've got some talent for this, why don't we help you out, let's see what you can do." "From that day 'til this," Taormina says, "He's been there, from step one until now, coaching me, helping me."
Now that she's going to Sydney, she may make another friend. After Taormina's over-the-top swim and bike, it would be no surprise if she makes Nicole Hackett's acquaintance.
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Taormina gains another Olympic berth
May 27, Dallas, Texas (www.slowtwitch.com):
As expected, Dallas produced a difficult day for America's top female short-course triathletes, though cloud cover provided some relief from the heat and humidity. Twenty-seven Olympic hopefuls dove into the water at 9AM to start the first ever U.S. Olympic Trials in triathlon.
Sheila Taormina, a reigning Olympic medalist in swimming, took an early lead, with Barb Lindquist of Wyoming -- the fifth ranked woman in the world -- on her feet. The two quickly built a 50-second lead on the field. In the chase pack were run specialists Siri Lindley and Joanna Zeiger. Karen Smyers, she of recent media attention because of her difficult journey just to get to this point -- including a current bout with thyroid cancer -- was off the back, and not a factor in the swim.
Taormina and Lindquist started the five-lap bike course with a 50 second lead. In the chase pack were most of the top contenders. This included Lindley, fast-running Joanna Zeiger, Susan Barthlomew, Laura Reback and Jennifer Gutierrez. The latter had already made the team based on her high-placing at the Sydney World Cup race earlier this spring. The bike course was moderately hilly, with two U-turns. Further demands were placed on the racers by mother nature, as moderately stiff winds were added to the heat and humidity.
Not trusting the cushion their rapid swim splits had bought them, Taormina and Lindquist put further distance between themselves and the chase pack on each lap, adding 40-seconds to their lead in each of the five bike laps. As has been the case so often in World Cup races leading up to this year, the women's chase pack never got into a working rythm, and could not put together a determined effort to catch the leaders. By the end of the bike the two leaders had over a 3-minute lead on the chasers.
By the start of the run the clouds had begun to clear and the humidity was taking a toll. Of reported concern to the Lindquist camp coming into this race was her past difficulty in hot conditions, especially during the run. Such concerns were not unfounded. While Taormina -- who herself has had difficulty closing out races -- ran comfortably, Lindquist succumbed to the heat, and slowly wound down during each lap.
The two best runners in the field, Zeiger and Lindley, emerged as contenders for the all-important second position. But, while they dueled, Laura Reback was quietly making up ground herself, a little further in arrears.
Taormina, up front, drew on her big-race experience and was never challenged, running in solo for the win. Zeiger -- who has shown great footspeed all year -- broke clear for second, also making America's team. Lindley faded to third, and was almost caught by hard-charging Reback, who almost made the alternate's spot. She ran out of running room just meters from the finish.
Smyers worked her way through the field with a very respectable run split, but could manage no better than seventh. Lindquist was not able to finish.
(On-site reporting by J. Grinder).
(RESULTS)
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$100,000 Olympic Trials feature top Americans, few others
May 22, Irving, Texas, USA (www.slowtwitch.com):
The idea behind the $100,000 prize list and opening the U.S. Olympic Trials Triathlon to non-Americans was to simulate a World Cup kind of competition -- force the Americans to prove themselves against the world's best.
The race has drawn all of the qualified Americans, each by virtue of a top-125 world ranking. But it has drawn only a handful of international racers, each of whom is also among the world's top-125. Nothing like the World Cup field limits of 75 men, 75 women are happening here.
The men's field includes 13 Americans, plus six foreigners - one of whom is U.S. resident Alec Rukosuev. The women's field includes 25 Americans, plus five foreigners.
The Americans, of course, are racing to finish among the top two, and secure instant positions on the US Olympic team. The two who already qualified by finishing as first American in the ITU World Cup at Sydney, Hunter Kemper and Jennifer Gutierrez, are racing the rest, even though they have secured their spots.
The US men hopeful of landing those positions include (with their world rankings noted) Ryan Bolton (63); Josh Dapice (114); Tony DeBoom (102); Doug Friman (124); Wes Hobson (73), Andy Kelsey (111); Victor Plata (90); Nick Radkewich (55); Abe Rogers (89); Michael Smedley (74); Joe Umphenour (107) and Marcel Vifian (97).
Their international competition comes from Rukosuev; Australians Chris Hill (11), Marc Lees (86) and Levi Maxwell (99); Britain's Tim Don (74); and Venezeula's Gilberto Gonzalez (9).
The two additional female Olympians will emerge from Kristin Armstrong (107); Susan Bartholomew (23); Pamela Birsinger (85);Karen Dehmel (115); Gina Derks Gardner (52); Becky Gibbs (54); Callahan Hatfield (96); Lauren Jensen (112); Gina Kehr (90); Gail Laurence (33); Siri Lindley (19); Barb Lindquist (5); Susanne Martineau (108); Jill Newman (29); Juliana Nievergelt (99); Amanda Pagon (62); Maryellen Powers (106); Laura Reback (42); Karen Smyers (43); Martha Sorensen (98); Marci Steelman (94); Sheila Taormina (48); Katie Webb (104); and Joanna Zeiger (55).
International women in the chase include Australia's Nicole Hackett (11), Brazil's Mariana Ohata; Canada's Carol Montgomery (13), Britain's Julie Debbens (76) and Jamaica's Iona Wynter (67).
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USAT’s $100,000 trials open to internationals
May 9, Irving, Texas, USA (www.slowtwitch.com):
So far, it’s looking like triathlon’s best-kept secret, the $100,000 in prize money set out for the USA Triathlon Olympic Trials races near Dallas on May 27 (women) and 28 (men).
The race is open to all the world’s top-125 ranked athletes, although fewer than a dozen foreigners have signed up so far.
The prize money breakdown is $70,000 for the top 10 (equal for men and women), and $30,000 additional in US bonuses.
First place overall will win $7,500, followed by $6,500 (2nd), $5,500 (3rd), $4550 (4th), $3,750 (5th), $2,750 (6th), $1,850 (7th), $1,250 (8th), $800 (9th) and $550 (10th).
The top-10 Americans will receive additional bonuses: $4,200 (1st), $3,600 (2nd), $2,400 (3rd), $1,440 (4th), $1,200 (5th), $840 (6th), $600 (7th), $360 (8th), $240 (9th) and $120 (10th). So, if an American wins the entire race, he or she would leave with a total of $11,700.
Elite athletes interested in racing should contact USA Triathlon’s pro athletes must pre-register through Alison DeWall (mailto:Alison@USATriathlon.org) or at 719/597-8757. Foreigners will pay a $45 entry fee; the race is free to USAT elites.
Homestays will be available upon request. Interested athletes should contact Diane Proud at (mailto:Diane.Proud@careerpath.com).
More details on the race may be found at: http://www.triathlontrials2000.com
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Kemper alone brings US men to 3 slots
April 30, Perth, Australia (www.slowtwitch.com):
Singlehandedly, Hunter Kemper has returned the American men to the position of having three slots for Sydney, when the ITU reveals how the country slots for the Olympics will fall on Monday.
By finishing seventh in the ITU World Championships on Sunday, Kemper moved his personal world ranking from No. 52 to 34 -- high enough to leapfrog past Mexico, Italy and Brazil in country standings. That gains the US men two more slots by the rankings, after they had lost ground and even languished in the last few weeks.
Kemper had earned the US men its first slot, the North American regional one, last summer by taking second in the Pan American Games Triathlon.
His personal reward for this deliverance is knowing his own status as an Olympian is secure. As first American in the ITU World Cup-Sydney on April 16, he won the first part of the Americans’ two-part Olympic Trials. But until the Americans knew for sure that they would receive either two or three Olympic slots -- determined only after Sunday’s World Championships -- there was little for Kemper to celebrate.
Had the US men failed to move up in the rankings this weekend, the lone regional slot would have meant only the winner of the Olympic Trials Triathlon in Dallas on May 28 would go to Sydney. And while Kemper is clearly the top-performing American just now, there was no guarantee that he would win in Dallas.
But now, the US firmly has the numbers it needs. It stands as the 12th ranking country, just behind Germany (82 points for its 33rd- and 49th-ranked men). America has 89 points, for Kemper (No. 34) and Nick Radkewich (No. 55), who fell five positions in the post-Perth realignment of points. And it is just ahead of 13th-country Brazil, with 90 points (with No. 38 and 52).
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Kemper keeps the US pressure on
April 23, Noumea, New Caledonia (www.slowtwitch.com):
Hunter Kemper’s seventh-place finish in Sunday’s ITU Points Race here, the Triathlon International de Noumea Mobil, appears to have brought the US men back into higher standings in the rankings. They are back in a tie for Mexico for the last of the two-slots-by-rankings position.
Even considering the results of Saturday's race in Portugal (in which nobody jumped ahead of the top two Americans to push them further down), Kemper gained enough points (130) to boost himself a few places. That, coupled with Mexico's Javier Rosas not scoring any points, and Uzziel Valderrabano apparently not starting, put the Americans at 95 points (47 Radkewich, 48 Kemper), level with the Mexicans (46 Rosas, 49 Valderrabano).
Monday's race in Sicily could affect the US men's tenuous position only if Italy's Stefano Belandi, currently No. 50, with 90 points fewer than Kemper (after Noumea), finishes 9th or higher.
(RESULTS)
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American men: What now?
April 17, Sydney, Australia (www.slowtwitch.com):
Now that the U.S. men have failed to move in the country rankings after Sunday’s ITU World Cup in Sydney, they’ve gone quiet.
That is, a trio of USA Triathlon executives is huddling in Sydney, trying to put the next piece of the plan in place in order to regain spots for the Sydney Olympics. Before the World Cup, they had just one - that which Hunter Kemper landed for the US team as the first North American finisher (second overall) in the Pan Am Games Triathlon last July.
Today, they still have a single slot. But they also have some options.
“Mike Highfield (USAT president), Matt Haugen (USAT coach) and Tim Yount (USAT manager) are working on that in Australia,” said USAT executive director Steve Locke from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he is busy with other USAT tasks.
Yount’s conversation after the race with Inside Triathlon’s Tim Carlson may provide some clues. "Odds are we can pass Argentina and get one more Olympic slot back," Yount told Carlson, reporting from Sydney. "But it looks now, after German Stefan Vuckovic placed second overall here, as if three slots will not be possible."
But two slots may be. The rise in country rankings depends on the performances of the two highest-ranked American men, Nick Radkewich (No. 47) and Hunter Kemper (No. 51). While Kemper came through with a stellar performance -- 11th -- in Sydney, Radkewich put up a poor race, coming home in 38th. Because other countries also performed well enough to gain places above the two Americans, the plight of the Americans didn’t change any.
While the on-the-surface solution would be for the American duo to give it all they’ve got at the World Championships in Perth -- where points are worth more than ever -- on April 30, Kemper told Carlson that he’s not about to do that. "If I race at Perth, the way I peak and prepare for races, I will not have a good race at Dallas," he said. He instead will race at St. Anthony's, an ITU Points Race, in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 29. If he wins there, he would get 375 points -- equivalent to about 15th place at Perth. Radkewich, according to Carlson, will also race St. Anthony's.
If the US men finish out the Olympic-qualifying cutoff with two or more slots, Kemper -- as the first American in the World Cup -- will get the nod as one of two men to go to Sydney. If the US men end up in their current position on May 1, the Sydney results won’t count for anything. The race for the one Olympic place would go to the winner of the US Olympic Trials Triathlon in Dallas on May 28.
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Gutierrez is America’s first Olympian
April 16, Sydney, Australia (www.slowtwitch.com):
Running from behind, Denver’s Jennifer Gutierrez passed pre-Olympic Trials favorite Barb Lindquist with one kilometer left in Sunday’s ITU World Cup at Sydney, finishing seventh overall and becoming America’s first-ever triathlon Olympian.
As the first American home in the sport’s most competitive field ever, Gutierrez landed the first of three Olympic slots that will go to U.S. women. The two other Olympians will be determined on May 27 in Dallas at the U.S. Olympic Trials Triathlon.
Through most of the rain-marred race, Lindquist appeared to be the leading American in the race-within-the-race. The Wyoming woman, ranked No. 6 in the world, actually crashed on the bike, but recovered to pull away on the run from Gutierrez and Littleton, Colorado’s Susan Bartholomew. But just two kilometers from finishing, with a 60-second lead on the two others, Lindquist struggled and slowed. Feeling the effects of picking herself up from the crash, plus trying to keep up a punishing pace on the run, Lindquist was passed by both Gutierrez and Bartholomew with 1000m to go. Gutierrez finished seventh, and Bartholomew, 13 seconds back, eighth.
Lindquist, who collapsed over the finish line, finished in 12th, 50 seconds behind Bartholomew.
Gutierrez was hardly anyone’s favorite to be the first American in Sydney. All eyes were on Lindquist, who has shown she can race with the Australians, and Siri Lindley, who scored more ITU points last year than any other U.S. woman. But of America’s nine women in Sydney, only six finished. Karen Smyers, with the fourth-fastest run split after swimming poorly and getting stuck in a slow bike pack, took 22nd. Laura Reback was 28th; and Sheila Taormina -- who also crashed on the bike -- 40th. Gail Laurence was an official DNF, but the outcomes of Lindley and Jill Newman -- or if they started at all -- are not indicated on official results.
Noted USAT coach Michelle Blessing: “It was about as exciting an Olympic Trials as you could hope for. I hope Dallas can offer us the same head-to-head competition.”
Gutierrez has quietly worked herself up to the No. 15 world ranking, thanks to a pair of wins last January in ITU Points Races in Chile. That was her only racing until Sydney. Last year, she was the highest-finishing American in both the World Championships (7th) and the Pan American Games (4th).
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US men still stalled for Sydney
April 16, Sydney, Australia (www.slowtwitch.com):
Hunter Kemper’s 11th-place finish in Sunday’s ITU World Cup boosted his personal world ranking by a few places, but a lackluster race by Nick Radkewich -- the top-ranked American -- kept the U.S. men from gaining a second Olympic slot.
The U.S. men needed strong races from Radkewich, ranked No. 46 going into Sydney, and Kemper, ranked No. 54. Kemper came through, raising his own ranking by a few notches, in spite of running with a stitch for the first 7 kilometers. But Radkewich’s 37th-place finish dropped him one place in the world rankings to No. 47.
As things stand, the US men are close to recovering the one or two Olympic-qualifying slots that they have lost in the last several weeks. The team had hoped to perform well enough in Sydney to ease the pressure, but enough other countries raced better than the Americans, to keep the US men on hold. It all means that the American men remain on edge for the next two weeks.
The US men have one Olympic slot, thanks to Kemper’s runner-up finish in the Pan Am Games last July. That earned the American men a regional slot, but their rankings have dropped so far in 2000 that, on rankings alone, they have not captured any additional slots.
All will come clear on May 1, when the ITU announces Sydney slots according to country rankings. The Sydney World Cup was intended to be one of two Olympic Trials qualifiers for the American men. But if they end up with just a single slot (the regional slot), then that means that the lone Olympian will be determined at the U.S. Olympic Trials Triathlon on May 28 in Dallas.
So USA Triathlon must scramble to fulfill ‘Plan B’. That is, to move up in the rankings, some international-level points may be won in next Sunday’s ITU Points Race at Noumea, New Caledonia. The field there, pre-Sydney, included the Australians Ryan Carter and Darren Carnell, Britain’s Craig Ball, Denmark’s Jan Hansen and France’s Patrick Vernay. However, many countries in search of last-minute points may now be sending some athletes there -- a short flight from Sydney -- even with the more-important World Championships looming in Perth on April 30.
While someone like Kemper would obviously prefer to miss New Caledonia in favor of resting and readying for the Worlds, it’s likely that Radkewich may be heading for Noumea to make up some ground quickly. It would be to Kemper’s advantage if he, too, could pick up more points in Noumea as back-up insurance -- he would be the class of the field, with 375 points to win. Because, after all, helping America gain back that second or even third slot means his first-American status in the Sydney World Cup would mean a starting place for him in the Sydney Olympics in September.
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Walker: Plenty of hope for US men
EDITOR'S NOTE: An April 7 item on Triathlonlive.com carried some misinformation on how USAT's men's Olympians will be determined. To correct: If USAT ends up with one slot only, it will go to the winner of the Olympic Trials Triathlon at Dallas. If it ends up with two of three slots, the first American at the Sydney World Cup will go, in addition to the 1st and/or 2nd finishers in Dallas.
April 10, Vista, California, USA (www.slowtwitch.com):
On paper, the USAT men dropped even further back after the third World Cup of the season at Ishigaki -- to No. 24, with no Sydney Olympics slots coming from the ITU world rankings.
Even at No. 22 a week ago (one place away from being the lucky 21st country, which gets one slot via the rankings), the American men had hope of regaining a higher place in the county rankings, says Triathlonlive.com analyst John Walker.
And he is still hopeful. He writes: "Three weeks ago, the US men were in position to send three men to the Sydney Olympics. Two weeks ago, that number dropped to two. Last week, their only remaining slot is the regional slot earned last summer at the Pan-American Games. Considering the method used to rank countries and allocate slots, the top-ranked US men must move up in the ITU World Rankings before May 1 in order for the US to regain any of those lost slots.
"At the Ishigaki World Cup race this last weekend, none of the top ranked US even competed. With the Sydney World Cup next weekend being a dry run for the Olympics, all the world's top-ranked athletes are expected to attend -- making it all the more difficult for the US men to substantially move up in the rankings. The same logic applies to the World Championship in Perth at the end of the month. So things look pretty bleak for the US men ...
"... or, do they?
"In my mind, regaining those slots is not nearly as hopeless as the above analysis indicates. Here is why.
"1. While the US men have lost both of the slots awarded via the country rankings, they really are not far away from regaining them both. If the top two US men (currently Nick Radkewich and Hunter Kemper) were ranked a total of 6 positions higher, the US men would get both of those slots back.
"2. The points awarded at international races are not insignificant. An international win (375 points) is equivalent to an 11th-place finish at Perth and a 9th-place finish at Sydney. Even a 5th-place international finish is worth as much as 20th at Perth and 16th at Sydney. And with the "short season," nobody has to worry about hitting the four-race limit prior to 1 May.
"3. Nick Radkewich is actually positioned well to move far in the rankings with just a few more points. With an additional 375 points - the equivalent of an international win - Radkewich would jump from 45th in the rankings all the way up to 27th. That would more than make up the six spots needed for the US men to regain both lost slots.
"4. While the US men's team has not had anyone who could consistently finish on the podium at World Cup races, they are very deep.
"Besides Radkewich (45th) and Kemper (51st), they also have Alec Rukosuev (62nd), Wes Hobson (63rd), Ryan Bolton (67th), and Michael Smedley (69th) all in the top 75. These men could conceivably help out if Radkewich or Kemper have bad fortunes at the upcoming races.
"Additionally, they have another 10 men ranked in the top 125 (Abe Rogers, Victor Plata, Marcel Vifian, Tony DeBoom, Joe Umphenour, Josh Dapice, Andy Kelsey, Jimmy Riccitello, Doug Friman, and Tim DeBoom). These men don't stand much chance to go to the Olympics unless the US men receive more than one slot. So it is strongly in their self-interests to make sure that the top-ranked men accumulate a lot of points in the next couple weeks.
"So, it should surprise no one if Radkewich and Kemper show up for an international race with a dozen or so domestiques to help them build an unassailable lead on the bike leg. Such teamwork has not been very overt in the past, but the current competitive rules and Olympic-qualification system almost begs for it right now. And if the slots are not locked up by the last weekend in April, the US team could always let the rest of the world scramble for points in Perth on April 30 while they stay home and utterly dominate St. Anthony's on April 29.
"Isn't strategy fun?"
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US men struggling in the “Sydney slot plan”
April 7, Colorado Springs, Colorado (www.slowtwitch.com):
Suddenly, all is not so easy in the USA men's camp. That is, the latest Olympic-qualifying rankings have the US men listing as No. 22 for country rankings.
When the top-ranked American, Nick Radkewich, didn't pick up any points (or move up any rankings) in the ITU World Cup at Kona, he actually fell down a few places, as did Hunter Kemper (who didn't race in Kona). That comination of slips meant the US now carries just a single Olympic slot -- the North American regional slot earned by Hunter Kemper in the Pan American Games Triathlon last July.
Only two or three weeks ago, the American men were high enough in rankings to have three slots.
All along, USAT's plan to reach its Olympic team has been for the Olympic Trials to take place over two weekends: April 16 in Sydney and May 27-28 in Dallas. The top-finishing American male in Sydney would get one of the Olympic slots, and the other one or two slots (depending if the American men end up with two or three slots) would be determined May 28 in Dallas.
(The American women race for their second and third slots on May 27, with their first slot going to the top-placing American on April 16).
But suddenly there is what could be an interesting, last-minute twist. If the US men continue to lag in the rankings, and end up with just one or two slots, then those one or two slots will go to the 1st and 2nd finishers in Dallas at the U.S. Olympic Trials Triathlon -- and no slot would be awarded out of the April 16 result in Sydney. Therefore, the top US man in Sydney can't celebrate immediately, like the top US woman can -- he would have to wait until the ITU indicates on May 1 how many slots the US men actually have.
The pressure is clearly on both Nick Radkewich, currently ranked No. 45, and Hunter Kemper, ranked No. 50, to move up a few places to recapture slots that would bring America back up to three slots. What happens in the coming weeks and races could be very, very interesting.
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Suddenly US men fall fast in rankings
March 27, Vista, California, USA (www.slowtwitch.com):
Good thing that Hunter Kemper finished second in the Pan American Games Triathlon last July. Because of that, he has salvaged one place in the Olympic starting field -- a regional slot -- for American men.
And, the U.S. men will have a second starting spot, thanks to the another slot (a regional or a host-country pass-down slot) that USA Triathlon will be in line for because of Nick Radkewich’s No. 41 position in the current ITU rankings.
But beyond that, as of today, there simply aren’t three guaranteed starting places in Sydney for American men anymore.
That was the outcome after the latest round of Olympic-qualifying points races last weekend. The news of USAT men dropping so suddenly -- from three slots, via the rankings, to zero slots earned from rankings -- was delivered on Monday afternoon by John Walker, Triathlonlive.com’s analyst for the Olympic-qualifying process.
“Here is a little bombshell in the country rankings,” Walker wrote after updating his independently-maintained list that tracks all Olympic-qualifying points, including Saturday’s Valle de Bravo race in Mexico. “Recently, Germany lost both of its slots in one week. Well, they gained them back, but another country lost both of its slots.
“Which one? Let's just say that Memorial Day weekend in Dallas (the U.S. Olympic Trials Triathlon) could be meaningless for the men ... Okay, that is not quite true, but it is pretty close. The US men have currently dropped down to being the 21st-ranked country - with zero slots.
“They have the regional slot earned by Hunter Kemper at Pan Ams. And they also have a returned slot (Oceania regional or host slot) awarded based upon Nick Radkewich's rankings of 41st. But that is it.”
Before the weekend -- which included Valle de Bravo and the Australian Championships as ITU Points Races, plus the African regional championship and the World Cup opener at Rio -- the USA’s top three-ranked men used to stand in positions 36 (Radkewich), 44 (Kemper) and 56 (Alec Rukosuev). After the weekend’s results, the same three stand in places 41-48-59.
Details on how the country rankings were affected by the weekend’s races may be found here.
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