After being snubbed by the Norwegian Federation for a place at the Paris Olympic Test Event, Gustav Iden looks set to continue his bid to qualify for the 2024 Games with back-to-back weekends of racing in Europe next month.
Following a tough start to the season, which has seen the IRONMAN World Champion try to navigate his return to short-course racing along with the loss of his mother after a brave battle with cancer, Iden now faces a race against time to grab the necessary points required to secure Olympic qualification.
Currently ranked #70 in the World Triathlon Individual Olympic Qualification Ranking, the 27-year-old sits below countrymen Kristian Blummenfelt (#10) and Vetle Thorn (#34), and he will face the fight of his life to demonstrate to the Norwegian Triathlon Federation that he is worthy of a spot on the plane to Paris this time next year.
Tackling the challenge head on
Having not raced since WTCS Hamburg at the start of July, where he finished 57th after failing to make it into the final, Iden has spent a month and a half away from racing. He is now preparing for a quick return to middle-distance action before embarking once again on his Olympic campaign at the start of September.
This weekend, Iden will compete in the PTO Tour Asian Open in Singapore, having won the PTO Canadian Open last year in Edmonton. Whilst it might seem like a risk to travel so far and race over the 100km distance, a strong showing in Singapore might be exactly what he needs to kickstart his short-course career.
After Singapore, Iden is set to take in his first short-course event for two months, at the World Triathlon Cup Valencia. The showdown in Spain is set to feature a strong start list and will be contested over the sprint distance on Saturday September 2.
The following week, the Norwegian star is on the start list for another World Cup event, this time in the Czech Republic as he takes on one of the toughest courses in triathlon at the World Triathlon Cup Karlovy Vary. In 2017, Iden won his first World Cup at this event and will hope to replicate that result in four weeks’ time.
Where next for Gustav Iden?
From September, the road to Olympic qualification looks to centre around Iden gaining enough points to guarantee starts in the WTCS next season. The final fixture of this year’s edition, the WTCS Grand Final in Pontevedra on September 24, is likely out of reach right now.
With eight World Triathlon Cup events in October and November alone this winter, when some of the best athletes may be taking their season break after the Olympic Test Event and WTCS Grand Final, could be the perfect opportunity for Iden to cherry-pick his races and significantly boost his ranking.
Putting travel considerations to one side, Iden could theoretically spend October on the road racing five back-to-back weekends, with races in Morocco, Italy, China, South Korea and Japan offering a bounty of qualification points before a quick trip over to South America to race the World Triathlon Cup events in Vina del Mar and Montevideo to wrap up the season.
Whilst it is unlikely he will race the 10 World Triathlon Cups on offer between September and November, do not be surprised if you see his name popping up on start lists all over the globe as he chases a second shot at Olympic gold.
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