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Alex Yee and Beth Potter selected for Olympics with British Triathlon 'losing sleep' over Paris 2024 conundrum
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Published 20/03/2024 at 17:13 GMT
British Triathlon performance director Mike Cavendish admits he is already losing sleep over a Paris Olympic selection headache. One of Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sophie Coldwell and Kate Waugh will have to stay at home next summer. "Quite honestly, it keeps me up at night already thinking about which of those we're going to pick," said Cavendish.
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British Triathlon performance director Mike Cavendish admits he is already losing sleep over a Paris Olympic selection headache.
Having both won August's Test Event, double Olympic medallist Alex Yee and world champion Beth Potter are the first triathletes selected by Team GB.
The team could yet swell to six, with two places per gender banked at last year's World Relay Championships and a third women's slot - based on world rankings - all but confirmed.
Cavendish faces one of the toughest calls of any at next summer's Games in having to leave one of Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sophie Coldwell and Kate Waugh at home.
That's before you factor in two returnees in Rio 2016 bronze medallist Vicky Holland and Tokyo Olympic champion Jess Learmonth, the latter setting her sights on a comeback having given birth in September.
"Quite honestly, it keeps me up at night already thinking about which of those we're going to pick," said Cavendish. "The first selection meeting wasn't short and I would imagine it's going to be a pretty long one next year."
Tokyo individual silver medallist Taylor-Brown can count on a brilliant body of 2022 form and won May's World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) race in Cagliari.
But a calf tear and ankle surgery counted her out of the business end of 2023, leaving her needing to demonstrate form and fitness early in 2024.
Coldwell was a travelling reserve in Tokyo and seemed to be taking her chance by winning WTCS Yokohama in May. She did not end the season so strongly, finishing 20th at the Test Event.
Waugh is the wildcard. The 24-year-old exploded this year, taking silver at WTCS Finals and finishing seventh at the Test Event; in early 2023, she left the Leeds Performance Centre to work abroad with Dr Paulo Sousa.
WTCS Cagliari on May 25 will go a long way to deciding the outcome, defined as the 'priority race' which will carry most weight in British Triathlon's thinking with final selections confirmed in early June.
"All three of them have shown they are medal contenders," said Cavendish. "We talked about it for a long time, but we couldn't see a way to separate them. Ultimately, every single one of those three had a compelling case to be selected but we just didn't see a way it was appropriate (to select) at this point, when we still have more time.
"Ultimately, they'll probably all have a compelling case to be selected next year and if we don't have any more time, we'll have to select them."
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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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