Fancy being a WTC World Champion? Well now you could if plans to introduce age group rankings across all distances at all WTC events come into effect next year.
Speaking on IM Talk podcast Andrew Messick who joined the World Triathlon Corporation as CEO in May this year says “We are looking at implementing age group rankings for 2012 and creating a global system of evaluating age group athletes based on their performance across multiple races over the course of a year. Full Ironman distance races, 70.3’s and 5150’s.
Athletes will have an opportunity to earn points based on their performance in their age group across races and then there will be a global evaluation system so you can see where you rate in your age group versus people in your country, region or in the world and to create a Champion in each age group.
It’s gonna be kind of interesting to evaluate athletes across multiple distances. The ranking you’re going to create isn’t just limited to Ironman or 70.3’s but there’s a reward and benefit to versatility and being able to race at multiple distances which is something we think just makes sense more broadly within the sport. Your body just can’t accommodate that many full distance races and in any given period of time, especially for age groupers.
We think that with all the races we do around the world, to be able to see who’s the best, Australian, New Zealand, American.....that has the potential to be a lot of fun, and we’re looking at putting Kona slots against them as well. We think that those types of initiative are ones that could create an opportunity for people to really engange more deeply in the sport” Good idea or clever marketing?
Messick also goes on to talk about the 5150 series and to say that whilst he thought “the criticism isn’t fair” and that the cancelled races weren’t for financial reasons but the race they (WTC) would have delivered wouldn’t be “worthy of the athletes efforts” and it was his decision to drop the races.
EverymanTri has learned that the Miami International Triathlon will not take place in 2012.
A spokesman for the 5150 series said “ Unfortunately the MIT event will not occur in 2012. We are hoping to have it back in 2013 as part of the 5150 Series”.
Perhaps the writing was on the wall for the MIT when they produced this Event poster last year!
You can listen to the full with Andrew Messick interview HERE.
Our British bureau chief Danny Ward brought you this story.
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