Every four years, triathlon gets the eyes of the entire world peering in on it through the graces of the Olympic Games. This year was no exception. In fact, we got more exposure than anticipated albeit because of uncertainty.
There were months of speculation around the Seine River water quality and the hovering question of whether we would even see a triathlon contested in the heart of Paris, or instead a duathlon. Quick sigh of relief…all three triathlon events were triathlons!
What we know for certain
We saw that gold was won in the individual events by two athletes who raced with consistent potency at the few WTCS races held leading into the Games. Yes, Cassandra Beaugrand and Alex Yee, both exhibiting flawless execution and deadly running form in the lead-up events, did the same in Paris to win gold.
We now know for certain that the swim can be so much more than an afterthought under extreme conditions. Two top medal favourites Taylor Knibb and Morgan Pearson – both from the US – saw their hopes of claiming glory get drowned by the rough-and-tumble body contact that happens in the water.
Both saw small gaps that normally were reclaimable turn into severe deficits with the massive river flow of the Seine before the race even hit dry land. Taylor squeaked into the top 20 with 19th and Morgan struggled to a 31st-place finish. Both far below pre-race predictions.
What we know for certain is that the Mixed Relay is a kickass exciting event! The sprint finish between Laura Lindemann, Knibb and Beth Potter was perhaps not only the most memorable nailbiter in the sport, but the most memorable close of any race in Paris.
Just one solitary second separated the trio at the finish, and it was only after extended photo finish scrutiny that the judges determined Taylor had crossed ahead of Beth by the smallest of visible margins. No one who saw that will forget it!
What we don’t know
Marisol Casado, who has been at the helm of World Triathlon for the past 16 years, is stepping down. Her successor will be determined in a vote on October 21. We don’t know who that replacement will be, or what thumbprint that person will stamp on the sport.
The uncertainty in my mind is what changes the new president might be forced to make to keep triathlon front and centre on the world stage of sports in general? Could there be significant changes or additions to the triathlon events in Los Angeles?
What prompted Marisol to step down at a point where the triathlon gained so much worldwide attention? Did she look into her crystal ball of the future, and seeing less and less venues that are willing to pitch in with the huge commitment it takes to put on a WTCS race, decided to exit before that puzzle has to be figured out?
Did she step down knowing that an intriguing story around triathlon leading into Los Angeles is going to be tough to write? In Paris it was easy. We were one of two events which would take place in the revitalised and cleaned-up Seine River. That got talked about endlessly.
Course for concern?
Looking toward Los Angeles? The only story coming out at the moment is how flat and uninspiring the currently proposed triathlon course will be. Not a great launching pad to be saddled with if you are in charge of invigorating the world to get excited about tuning into the triathlon again in 2028.
What is also uncertain is how many athletes who competed in Paris will move onto bigger and brighter pastures. The field in Paris was littered with athletes who are incredibly fast, but who will likely be forgotten after the Games because they were not part of the gold-silver-bronze conversation. These are athletes who chased the Olympic dream for years, very intensely for the past two years.
Most have little to show for it in their bank accounts after the expenses of traveling across countless timezones and back chasing Olympic qualifying points and standards have been tallied. Federations which dictate so much of an Olympic hopeful’s schedule don’t compensate their athletes at the same level the broader world of sponsorship is willing to do.
So, many of those athletes are now looking at very profitable options like stepping up their race distance and going for T100 or the IRONMAN Pro Series. The World Triathlon side of the sport is going to lose a lot of great talent with this dynamic.
Of course, there will be the heroes of the future who will fill the empty places. But uncertain going forward is if World Triathlon will create a dynamic where those targeting the Olympic Games can be “competitive” on the sponsorship level with those who move on?
Tough to repeat
What we know for certain is that it’s really, REALLY hard to repeat as an Olympic champion in triathlons. This was the seventh time triathlon has been contested in the Olympics. It started for the first time in Sydney. We are now seven editions later. And there has been one, and only one, athlete who has been able to win the gold medal twice – the great Alistair Brownlee. He won on home turf in London in 2012, then was able to repeat in Rio in 2016.
This year Kristian Blummenfelt fell far short of a repeat of his Tokyo gold finishing in 12th, over a minute behind champion Alex Yee. Flora Duffy, who had dominated in Tokyo, was closer as she crossed the finish line in 5th, but still over a minute behind the brilliant Beaugrand.
What makes our sport great
It’s easy to talk about what the sport of triathlon is doing well, and what we feel needs improvement or change. And both of those conversations are important. Successes, like its presence that was clearly epic in Paris, is so important to celebrate. What needs to change to stay vital is a conversation which also has to be visited. And that one is a conversation that has no ending as we keep evolving the sport.
What is my most certain thought?
From Olympic Champion to the last to finish in a local race, we have camaraderie. And we saw that camaraderie at the finish line in Paris this year. The image of silver medalist Hayden Wilde and gold medal winner Alex Yee on the ground looking back out at the city of Paris, sharing their race experience together in unity, was the tearing moment for me from these Games.
We are great together.
