Backing the tri process
TRIATHLON Australia (TA) president Miles Stewart says he has full faith in his organisation’s selection policy as its elite selection panel heads into final deliberations for the Commonwealth Games team.
Triathlon has a long history of disputed selection for major events and the discretionary policy is set to come under the spotlight again before the se- lection committee nominates athletes for the Games to the TA board next month.
While Ashleigh Gentle, Charlotte McShane and Jake Birtwhistle have earnt automatic selection, TA’s elite selection committee will pick the final woman and two men to join them at the Games.
“It will be tough,” said former world champion and Sydney Olympian Steward.
“It’s exciting though because you’ve got some really good candidates that are in the mix and some kids that have shown good things this year.”
The men’s selection is shaping as the toughest decision, with Olympians Aaron Royle and Ryan Bailie, Gold Coastbased world junior champion Matt Hauser and Luke Willian, who won bronze in the under-23 division at the recent world championships all pushing for two spots.
“There are some really good kids to choose from, especially in the men’s side,” Stewart said.
“The women’s side, Jacko (Emma Jackson) has been there and done that before and you’ve got some young girls coming through.
“There is a process which we follow and hopefully people know these days, the team is the team.”
Stewart acknowledged the sport’s difficult history, which has included controversial selections like Gold Coaster Emma Snowsill being left out of the London Games team in 2012 when defending Olympic champion, and other athletes heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to argue cases.
“The sport’s a victim of its own success. In 2000 there were 10 world champions going for six spots – good people miss out,” Stewart said.
“And that’s an unfortunate part of any selection policy.
“But to me, the more people that miss out, the better the shape of the sport is.”
While Hauser and Willian represent the future, Stewart said selection won’t be made with an eye to Tokyo 2020.