Triathlon at the Olympic Games: Taylor-Brown and Kate Waugh get British places for Paris 2024, but Sophie Coldwell misses out AGAIN – Elite News

Team GB has announced that Georgia Taylor Brown And Kate Waugh will join the already selected Beth Potter in her team for the Olympics next month in Paris.

Great Britain had qualified the maximum possible three women, but due to the large number of participants, some difficult decisions had to be made – just as in the men’s event, where Jonny Brownlee came away empty-handed.

Ultimately, it seemed to come down to a two-out-of-three scenario, with Sophie Coldwell the unlucky one not there, just as she did at Tokyo 2021 when she arrived as a substitute.

GTB wants to expand medal table

Reigning world champion Potter, one of the big favorites for gold in Paris, was the only one to secure her place thanks to her victories at the Test event And WTCS championship final in Pontevedra last year.

Taylor-Brown had a long break in 2023 due to a calf injury, but having demonstrated her fitness and form this season – and taking silver in the individual and gold in the mixed relay in Tokyo despite a puncture – she always seemed to be in a good position to get the nod.

But there were also compelling arguments for Waugh and Coldwell.

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Waugh is getting stronger

The 25-year-old Waugh has had a meteoric rise in the current Olympic qualifying cycle.

She became the U23 Triathlon World Champion at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Championship Finals and finished second behind Potter in the Grand finale in Pontevedra and the coronation of Overall winner of the Super League Triathlon.

She is currently ranked sixth in the triathlon world rankings and twelfth in the Olympic rankings – and these will be her first Olympic Games.

Another painful setback for Coldwell

But Coldwell, who is four years older, has also made impressive progress in the same period.

She helped England, Mixed Team Relay, Gold At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham she won her first WTCS event in Yokohama in 2023 and is ranked 8th in the Olympic rankings, four places ahead of Waugh.

British Triathlon had announced that it would give more weight to the final WTCS race in Cagliari last month, where Coldwell finished seventh, Waugh tenth (and GTB sixth).

Taylor-Brown, Waugh and Coldwell met all three criteria of “realistic individual medal contenders”. set out in the British Triathlon selection policy through proven, first-class results.

But it is Coldwell who comes away empty-handed.

Mike Cavendish, Performance Director of British Triathlon and Head of Triathlon Team GB, said: “Realistic medal chances have been at the forefront throughout the selection process and with that in mind we welcome Georgia, Kate and Sam (Dickinson, who secured the final place in the men’s event) who join the previously announced Beth Potter and Alex Yee.

“This has been an incredibly difficult selection process and I know that for some athletes it has brought joy and for others it has brought disappointment. The Olympic Games are the pinnacle of our sport and I know how much they mean to the five who will compete in Paris this summer.”