Ajax Bay wrote:
PBT_2009 wrote:
[Precised!]Weakened pro fields · The IM world championship this year will be a seriously weakened field, as LCB the defending champ has said she will not go.
· Pros are choosing between T100 and Ironman events is not good for strength of pro fields, and I think that's a detriment to the sport's overall community.
· We don't get to see the best battle the best when they should be doing so.
Lagoon wrote:
I completely disagree on the weakened fields. Hell, it seems pretty clear that we are getting better pro fields at every single race this year precisely because the T100 Tour exists and thus the IM Pro Tour exists as well. Pretty sure someone could run the SOF scores for this year vs last and share that with us. Are you up for that Ajax Bay?Given we haven't got a comparison for the amazing PTO European Open (Ibiza) I looked at the SOFs at Oceanside and Texas in 2022, 23 and 24.
Oceanside Men: 79>84>85, Women 79>87>89
Texas Men: 78>80>85, Women 59>77>81
Suggests all were or will be stronger fields, year on year. (Caveat: there may be underlying PTO Ranking points creep: I have not done that math.)
I'd say Oceanside was about the same 'strength' as last year, men and women. The women last year had 5 top women. This year just 3. The Men 2024 SOF was flattered by the influence not of T100 but the IM Pro Series, attracting Lange, and the 2023 men SOF does not reflect Bergere (no PTO scores x3) on the list.
Texas, again, has benefitted from the IM Pro Series designation. Note that this is a direct result of the T100 Tour being set up. Blame where blame's due.
On @PBT's take (bullets above), I think they are based on shaky analysis.
1) Nice and Kona are going to be stacked. Focussing on one young lady who recognises her weaknesses and has chosen not to compete is a fixation.
2) Virtually every top athlete is racing the T100s (who is missing? Lange. Anyone else? Noone else missing because of Ironman) We saw fields stronger than any 70.3 worlds since 2019.
3) We have got to see the best battle the best, and San Francisco and London will be even better. After the Olympics it'll be wicked (replace up-to-date age-appropriate jargon).
4) The location of the Grand Final is . . . . in the Middle East as I understand it [Spoiler/]to be revealed
To your points:
1) perhaps, but i'd say its a fixation to say it's her "bike handling weakness" as to why she isn't defending her title in our sports most important race. that's BS. T100 is the reason. And, let's think larger, not just one person one race. If in the first year of its existence, T100 is pulling IM world champions away from defending their titles, other dominoes will fall moving forward in terms of others not racing in what are traditionally our sports most important events.
2) Lionel is the only other name that comes to mind in terms of "top" men, but there's also a major factor to consider as time goes forward here: contracted T100 athletes are going to have WAY more chances to generate race results which benefit themselves in the rankings. You need a T100 contract to really be in that club. So the best will have a proportionally tighter grip on opportunities to stay at the top, and PTO can keep showing the rankings and say "look, we have 18 of the top 20 in the world". PTO makes the rankings. It's not an unbiased source. I know the data behind these metrics is extensive, but I guarantee you they would not structure it in a way such that someone (or a few) who is/are killing it on the IM pro series circuit could be #1. That is major financial egg on the face for PTO. So let's not just blindly say T100 tour has the best and not question those claims as at least being SOME percentage of marketing/data BS.
3) Yes, this is a weird year because of the olympics as well. San Fran - lets not forget the athletes who usually compete there and try to make a name for themselves at escape from alcatraz. now those atheletes can't do that because T100 has taken over that spotlight and forced them out in their quest to have a circuit complete enough to make athletes choose between T100 and Ironman. Or be able to do both. They had to crowd their calendar so that people would not be able to do that. A conscious choice. ST almost universally shames IM for doing this type of thing, stepping on toes of independent races, and now T100 does it and it's just fine?
4) yay (??).