Like triathlon data? Click here >>> stats.protriathletes.org
Well, happy birthday to me!
Ok, it’s not my actual birthday… but if it was, this is exactly the sort of present I would appreciate. Truth be told, I have been known to enjoy a triathlon statistic or two. In fairness, it’s sort of a requirement of the job… but, beyond that, I’m a fan, and genuinely love this stuff anyway. Thus, when the PTO releases its all-new triathlon statistics site, that goes straight to bookmarks.
For many years, we’ve been spoiled in the draft-legal, ITU (now World Triathlon) world for data. World Triathlon’s events and results database is fantastic. Extensive history, searchable and comprehensive, if you work in the industry or do commentary / media work, you simply can’t do without it. Not only that, behind-the-scenes and not visible to the general public, there are further integrations that provide the distribution of images / video / audio content and more (typically done quickly), which helps the likes of me, write reports and research athletes with significant resources and assets to – hopefully – add value to you.
The fragmented world of middle and long distance triathlon however has not really had anything that can come close to the high bar that World Triathlon have set. With so many different and independent organisers (and not just IRONMAN and Challenge Family), there’s never been anything, truly, that can be regarded as ‘definitive’, that can approach something similar for this sector of the sport. The PTO have made a great start on that here.
- Want current (AND historical) rankings? MEN | WOMEN
- Latest Collins Cup qualification status? EUROPE | INTERNATIONALS | USA
- Latest (and historical) Pro results? HERE
- Results history for an athlete? Search anyone HERE (e.g. Bella Bayliss – who retired from Pro racing eight years ago)
- Compare athlete head-to-heads? Sure, here’s Daniela Ryf vs. Lucy Charles-Barclay
There’s more – but I’ll let you have a play, and find out for yourself.
Is this ‘important’? Despite my personal excitement, to some, I appreciate that your interest may not be quite the same. And that’s fine.
However, having been involved in the sport for more than 30 years, worked within the ‘media’ for almost half of that time and also worked extensively in commentary and broadcast roles, I can guarantee you that your experience of the sport will, over time, improve because of this – even if it is not a resource you want to use directly.
As for those commentators (and I’m talking to you Paul Kaye, Joanne Murphy, Jay Luke, Till Schenk, Bob Babbitt and many, may more!), those vast hours of (unseen) athlete research that go into being as prepared as we can ahead of an event just got a significant helping hand.
I’ve also come to realise over time (it’s an age thing), that history is far more important than most of us realise when we are young. World Triathlon has built and continued to develop and maintain its resource for their extensive portfolio of Pro and Age-Group events. This is the start point, I hope, of a long-term vision for such a commitment to events of the PTO professionals.
It’s a great start.
COMPREHENSIVE ONLINE PORTAL SIGNALS A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION IN ATHLETE AND FAN ENGAGEMENT FOR TRIATHLON
The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) looks to take athlete insight and fan engagement to a whole new level in the sport of long-distance Triathlon with the launch of stats.protriathletes.org, revolutionising the way triathlon data is displayed and consumed.
In this comprehensive new resource, the PTO aims for sports fans everywhere to grow in their appreciation, understanding and love of the sport of Triathlon by being able to fully analyse and comprehend the tremendous performances of PTO Professionals.
Key product features of stats.protriathletes.org include:
- A single platform for key performance stats and analytics on all PTO Professionals
- Equal representation of male female athletes
- All-time record scores and times
- A consolidation of major long-course triathlon results since 1978
- The new home of PTO World Rankings and Collins Cup Qualification Standings
- Head-to-Head athlete comparison capability across disciplines
Comparisons of PTO Professionals across different distances and courses, including the ability to see the best performances in individual disciplines, mean it will be an informative tool for data hungry fans to learn about their favourite athletes and how they performed historically and in the current season. It will be an equally useful resource for both media partners looking for in-depth analysis of race results as well as brands looking to promote their athlete’s performances.
Christophe Balestra, Chief Technology Officer of the PTO, said, “Triathlon fans are all too painfully aware that sources of triathlon stats are limited and disparate. Fans would have to browse multiple sites to get a consolidated view of stats from men’s and women’s race performances. This is about to change as the PTO launches a one-stop -shop for current and historic triathlon data and analytics”.
Charles Adamo, Executive Chairman of the PTO, commented, “In today’s “Moneyball” world, sports are driven by data and statistics. Triathlon, by the nature of its three disciplines, creates immense amounts of data. When presented together with the personalities and sporting drama that races produce, this data makes for an engaging and thrilling experience. We are now able to showcase PTO Professionals via personality driven storylines and supplement it with the in-depth performance data that highlights their tremendous competitive accomplishments. Our goal is to implement and deliver this data to fans in an exciting and user-friendly way.”
In creating a comprehensive Triathlon Stats Platform, the athlete-led sporting body is taking another step forward in helping to transform triathlon into a broader, mass-consumed, fan-friendly international sporting property.
For more news on the Professional Triathletes Organisation, Rankings, Collins Cup and more, check out our dedicated section on the site HERE.
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
