There’s a different look today, to the fourth (or five) rounds of PTO 2020 Championship wildcards announced by the Professional Triathletes Organisation.
While the first 12 names announced featured a significant contribution from top tier of World Triathlon / short-course athletes, the fourth round picks are most certainly on ‘home turf’, reflecting both young talent and in-form performers from the world of middle and long course racing.
As the highest ranked male athlete not automatically qualified already, I think everyone remotely close to the sport will be pleased to see that the name Sam Long is on today’s list. Winner of back-to-back middle distance races on consecutive weekend’s recently (the PTO-supported Bear Lake Brawl, plus IRONMAN 70.3 Cozumel), he was certainly on my “he must get a start” list.
He fully deserves that on results alone, but then throw in a U.S. athlete on home soil, his rapid progress over the last 18 months – and his willingness to be outspoken (but back that up on the course), and this selection, to me at least, was an absolute no-brainer. I’m glad to see that the PTO agree – and Challenge Daytona will offer him a perfect opportunity to put his case forward for a place on the Team USA squad for the inaugural Collins Cup in 2021.
Long’s response to selection is interesting too, perhaps reflecting the progress that the PTO have made since its launch in engaging with the professional athletes? Plenty of roads to cross and athletes to please over the coming months no doubt, but progress from zero to now, after several years of working on the structure, has been significant.
“The PTO 2020 Championship is going to be epic, and I am thrilled to have been selected to be a part of it. It is fantastic professionals have all come together to form the PTO. This will be the greatest race EVER, and the best thing about it is that this is OUR race and the PTO is OUR organization. I am ready to give triathlon fans the race they have all been waiting for.”
Denmark’s Magnus Ditlev is even younger than Sam Long, but his dominant win at the recent IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia, highlights his future potential, particularly on two wheels. Will Long vs. Ditlev develop over the next decade to the Nadal and Federer comparison from the PTO? Time will tell on that front, but there are certainly a new wave of athlete who would like to dethrone the current stars of the sport.
The ‘journey’ of Renee Kiley is a remarkable one – check out her website – but when you consider her recent third place at an exceptionally close IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship, there can be no claims that her selection is based on backstory alone.
Like Long, Danielle Dingman was a winner at the PTO-supported Bear Lake Brawl Triathlon, where she was able to get the better of Skye Moench.
Previous Wildcard Announcements: One | Two | Three
PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
ANNOUNCES SAM LONG, DANIELLE DINGMAN,
MAGNUS DITLEV AND RENEE KILEY AS
WILDCARD SELECTIONS FOR PTO 2020 CHAMPIONSHIP
The Professional Triathletes Organisation today announced that Sam Long, Danielle Dingman, Magnus Ditlev and Renee Kiley have been selected as wildcards for the PTO 2020 Championship at CHALLENGEDAYTONA®.
In Sam Long and Magus Ditlev we see the young guns of the sport, rightfully stepping up to a championship calibre competition. Both in their early 20’s, their recent performances have announced the arrival of what may be the new guard for the PTO and professional triathlon and the pair could well be battling it out for the next decade. In their first clash at the PTO 2020 Championship, we may witness a transcendental moment in sport that has not happened since Nadal and Federer first locked horns over 15 years ago and began a rivalry that brought tennis to new heights and still continues to this day.
Danielle Dingman and Renee Kiley represent the unique time-honoured tradition of age-groupers progressing to the professional ranks. Both were on their way to breakout seasons and poised to move up the PTO World Rankings for 2020 when COVID-19 struck, eliminating all opportunities to advance up the rankings into automatic qualifying spots. Kiley’s performance at Cairns was at the level of an automatic qualifier, while Dingman’s victory at the PTO Supported Bear Lake triathlon, besting the PTO World No. 10, clearly indicated she was in good enough form to be awarded a wildcard spot.
Charles Adamo, Executive Chairman of PTO, commented, “In our fourth-round wildcard selections, our focus was on Category 2 of our published criteria. This covers newer professionals who, because of the COVID impact on racing and the freezing of the PTO World Rankings, did not have the opportunity to establish a high enough ranking to be an automictic qualifier, but whose recent form showed them capable of being competitive with the automatic qualifiers. These are difficult decisions, but we are very pleased with our choices and in Long, Ditlev, Dingman and Kiley we believe we have identified PTO Professionals worthy of a wildcard selection.”
Sam Long, the rising young American star, commented, “The PTO 2020 Championship is going to be epic, and I am thrilled to have been selected to be a part of it. It is fantastic professionals have all come together to form the PTO. This will be the greatest race EVER, and the best thing about it is that this is OUR race and the PTO is OUR organization. I am ready to give triathlon fans the race they have all been waiting for.”
On hearing of her wildcard selection, Australian Renee Kiley stated, “Very excited to receive the news I’ve been selected as a Wildcard entry to the biggest and most exciting racing opportunity of the year. I have put in some very hard work on the training track throughout 2020 and have stayed extremely focused and motivated week after week. I can’t wait to test myself again against some of the biggest names in triathlon. I am very proud to be a PTO professional. Their support has been critical to the survival of many professionals in this very challenging year. And, it cannot be underestimated how important their involvement is for both professionals and the wider triathlon community in ensuring a healthy and prosperous future of our sport”
Mangus Ditlev, the young Danish athlete, commented, “It is an honour to have been selected as a wildcard for the PTO 2020 Championship. As a young professional, to be part of an event that will have the greatest field in the history of our sport is mind blowing. I am very grateful to the PTO for all the work they have been doing to support triathlon and make the sport better for the next generation of professionals.”
American Danielle Dingman, added, “I am excited about participating in the PTO 2020 Championship and thankful for being selected as a wildcard. Ever since I turned pro a few years ago, the professional community had been welcoming and supportive and that comradery is what is great about our sport. I was very fortunate that I had the opportunity to race some PTO supported some races and was able to display my current form. There are many qualified and talented athletes, so to be considered and selected is a huge privilege.”
The PTO 2020 Championship CHALLENGEDAYTONA® will be the highlight of a difficult year and will see the world’s top triathletes competing for a $1,000,000 prize purse. With the top 40 PTO World Ranked athletes and the PTO wildcard selections, the field for the PTO 2020 Championship will be the strongest ever assembled.
The next set of four wildcard selections for the PTO 2020 Championship at CHALLENGEDAYTONA® will be announced at 15:00 BST on 22nd October.
There are still places available for the age group events at CHALLENGEDAYTONA® and those interested can register here.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT THE WILDCARD SELECTIONS
For more news on the Professional Triathletes Organisation, Rankings, Collins Cup and more, check out our dedicated section on the site HERE.
