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Shame on British Triathlon

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    #2
    tunney
    Registered Users Posts: 12,583 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    Ask an average punter is cycling a team sport. The answer will be no.

    Thats the way draft legal triathlon is going. If she doesn't like it race non-drafting.


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    #3
    mrboswell
    Registered Users Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭mrboswell


    tunney wrote: »
    Ask an average punter is cycling a team sport. The answer will be no.

    Thats the way draft legal triathlon is going. If she doesn't like it race non-drafting.

    It's great that UK have the luxury to be able to select pacemakers ahead of higher ranked athletes but its does take the gloss off the event.

    Professional cycling is one thing but making tri a team event will ruin it.

    I know she is probably bitter about it and rightly so but she has a very fair and reasonable point.

    Tri has always been an individual sport - one of the reasons that it is the fastest growing sport in many countries throughout the world.

    If people want to compete as a team they should sign up for the relay event.


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    #4
    MrCreosote
    Registered Users Posts: 2,320 ✭✭✭MrCreosote


    They've been open from the word go that their sole aim is to win medals. If you don't make automatic qualification then too bad- the selectors will choose based only on whether you are likely to medal or help someone else from GB to.

    They don't care about 12th. It's tough, but hardly disgraceful.


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    #5
    couerdelion
    Registered Users Posts: 2,910 ✭✭✭couerdelion


    If British Triathlon doesn't win medals they get less funding. The teams, both female and male have been selected with that in mind.

    Would Liz Blatchford have been in with a chance of winning a medal if selected?


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    #6
    bryangiggsy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,553 ✭✭✭bryangiggsy


    MrCreosote wrote: »
    They've been open from the word go that their sole aim is to win medals. If you don't make automatic qualification then too bad- the selectors will choose based only on whether you are likely to medal or help someone else from GB to.

    They don't care about 12th. It's tough, but hardly disgraceful.


    I disagree....the best individuals should compete.


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    #7
    mrboswell
    Registered Users Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭mrboswell


    Is it just a refusal to believe that they don't actually have what it takes?


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    #8
    MrCreosote
    Registered Users Posts: 2,320 ✭✭✭MrCreosote


    bryangiggsy wrote: »
    I disagree....the best individuals should compete.

    I agree with you, not the BTF. But the athletes knew what they were signing up for, and that if they didn't qualify automatically they'd leave it up to the selectors' whims.

    In Australia, the selectors are getting hammered for the opposite reason- not picking an out-of-form triathlete (Snowsill) who's not in the current top three, but who you could argue would have a better chance of medalling. So they picked their best athletes, but weakened their chances of getting medals.


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    #9
    bryangiggsy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,553 ✭✭✭bryangiggsy


    mrboswell wrote: »
    Is it just a refusal to believe that they don't actually have what it takes?


    please Elaborate? keeping in mind 55 athletes make the start line


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    #10
    d4r3n
    Registered Users Posts: 707 ✭✭✭d4r3n


    I think the decision is fair enough, they published their selection policy stating athletes needed to podium. I didn't see anyone crying foul then.

    I think someone like Lucy Hall who could well lead out the swim and work for Jenkins, and gain some Olympic experience for further Olympic games (potentially) to come rather than someone who may be ranked higher ITU wise but is effectively a swansong race for, and personally I don't think has a possibility of podiuming.


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    #11
    tunney
    Registered Users Posts: 12,583 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    d4r3n wrote: »
    I think the decision is fair enough, they published their selection policy stating athletes needed to podium. I didn't see anyone crying foul then.

    I think someone like Lucy Hall who could well lead out the swim and work for Jenkins, and gain some Olympic experience for further Olympic games (potentially) to come rather than someone who may be ranked higher ITU wise but is effectively a swansong race for, and personally I don't think has a possibility of podiuming.

    +1

    Articulated perfectly


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    #12
    mrboswell
    Registered Users Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭mrboswell


    bryangiggsy wrote: »
    please Elaborate? keeping in mind 55 athletes make the start line

    Individually they don't see their athletes as having real medal hopes without a little 'help'.

    Surely it would be better for the sport to have say 3 in the top 20 as opposed to one on the podium and the others no where in sight?

    I understand they feel they are maximising medal potential but for those that are considering making the switch to full time training I can imaging it could put many off.
    Why put you life on hold, break your neck to train for maybe 6 years and then fall short to someone 100 places behind you in rankings.
    d4r3n wrote: »
    I think the decision is fair enough, they published their selection policy stating athletes needed to podium. I didn't see anyone crying foul then.

    All people being selected made the podium? I may have read the orig. article incorrectly.


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    #13
    bryangiggsy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,553 ✭✭✭bryangiggsy


    d4r3n wrote: »
    I think the decision is fair enough, they published their selection policy stating athletes needed to podium. I didn't see anyone crying foul then.

    When did they publish it? According to Will Clarke..he only got a call after Sydney . were u getting your info from?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18361822

    d4r3n wrote: »
    I think someone like Lucy Hall who could well lead out the swim and work for Jenkins, and gain some Olympic experience for further Olympic games (potentially) to come rather than someone who may be ranked higher ITU wise but is effectively a swansong race for, and personally I don't think has a possibility of podiuming.

    Bolli*...then the olypmpic triathlon should be a field of 10...forget about the other 45 who dont have a chance.....real olympic spirit there.
    Best of the best should race. End of.


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    #14
    bryangiggsy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,553 ✭✭✭bryangiggsy


    good article on TE about this

    http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2012/06/11/comment-british-triathlon-domestiques-the-quest-for-gold/

    Paticularly like



    There is no correct answer to Olympic selection; someone is always going to end up disappointed. But the team chosen to go to the Olympics has understandably raised eyebrows. British Triathlon may have selected the squad that they believe represents the best chance of winning a medal, but they have not selected the six best triathletes in Britain.


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    #15
    d4r3n
    Registered Users Posts: 707 ✭✭✭d4r3n


    bryangiggsy wrote: »
    When did they publish it? According to Will Clarke..he only got a call after Sydney . were u getting your info from?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18361822

    The selection policy is here, you'll see the stuff about podiums in section 4.1, it talks about podiums in 2011 but they were kind enough to include 2012 results if anyone was able to step up and podium.

    It was definitely known about as far back as the test event, as I remember all the talk about it at the time, podium = automatic Olympic qualification.


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    #16
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,096 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    mrboswell wrote: »
    Surely it would be better for the sport to have say 3 in the top 20 as opposed to one on the podium and the others no where in sight?
    Not in the Olympics.

    One Brownlee on the top step is better than three people in 4th, 5th and 6th.


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    #17
    shotgunmcos
    Registered Users Posts: 8,208 ✭✭✭shotgunmcos


    In team sports each of the team will receive a medal, whereas the domestique justs gets the intrinsic satisfction of helping a team member get theirs. Perhaps as a 20 year old it could be a stage for them to take the spotlight wth the help of a domestique in 4 years time. Do athletes really sign up to be the domestique? Have they biased their training to a single discipline over the last 2 years of the olympic cycle to pave the way for their selection as such? Is this the way forward. Have a swim domestique, a bike domestique and the unleash your best runner to take the prize. Hands up who wants to be the swimmer?


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    #18
    Nwm2
    Registered Users Posts: 548 ✭✭✭Nwm2


    shotgunmcos wrote: »
    In team sports each of the team will receive a medal, whereas the domestique justs gets the intrinsic satisfction of helping a team member get theirs. Perhaps as a 20 year old it could be a stage for them to take the spotlight wth the help of a domestique in 4 years time. Do athletes really sign up to be the domestique? Have they biased their training to a single discipline over the last 2 years of the olympic cycle to pave the way for their selection as such? Is this the way forward. Have a swim domestique, a bike domestique and the unleash your best runner to take the prize. Hands up who wants to be the swimmer?

    Macca did.


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    #19
    mrboswell
    Registered Users Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭mrboswell


    Whats next? Team car following behind in case you get a flat?


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    #20
    bryangiggsy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,553 ✭✭✭bryangiggsy


    Nwm2 wrote: »
    shotgunmcos wrote: »
    In team sports each of the team will receive a medal, whereas the domestique justs gets the intrinsic satisfction of helping a team member get theirs. Perhaps as a 20 year old it could be a stage for them to take the spotlight wth the help of a domestique in 4 years time. Do athletes really sign up to be the domestique? Have they biased their training to a single discipline over the last 2 years of the olympic cycle to pave the way for their selection as such? Is this the way forward. Have a swim

    Macca did.
    Saying and doing is 2 different things. We all know if macca was selected he wud have stuck the 2 fingers up to the federation saying..im in to win!


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    #21
    MrCreosote
    Registered Users Posts: 2,320 ✭✭✭MrCreosote


    bryangiggsy wrote: »
    We all know if macca was selected he wud have stuck the 2 fingers up to the federation saying..im in to win!

    Which would have been met with a little patronising pat on the head and a "you go get them, tiger" comment.


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