Javier was carrying an annoying ankle injury and raced under some shots (was not full recovered till mid 2009). Maybe stitches too, but he was so superior by then that he lost his best chance for gold...

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Spaniard. Sorry for my english for the sensitive ones :P

He sees the bike leg as longest in the relay, giving him the benefit.

Also during the interview.. he talked about IM Italy and CAF athlete he helped during the run.. was amazing

I'd be curious who he's bouncing these ideas off of, cus as good of a bike he could have, he's giving it all back and likely more with poor swim/runs. Ben Kanute gave 30s to the stud runners at Tokyo...30 f'ing seconds. That's an big disadvantage.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

If anything, he is looking at this to up his swim game to go back to long course

That makes sense probaly just a different avenue to get faster in the water in the "off season" (yes I know his summer is going to be now being an Aussie). It's essentially too late for him to get the required ranking before end of May to actually even be on the initial eligibility. He's certainly not going to score points from WTS events, so he's only got a few WC's to actually get the ranking.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I think he talks "Good talk"
And has managed to convince someone at Tri Aus that it is a good idea and he is capable. Of course we all know these races are a lot faster/harder than they look, he may be in for a rude shock. As an Aussie I would like to think his idea would work but I am very sceptical, I will make sure I watch this one though.

Turns out he isnt doing short course as a favor to macca for the trash talk coaching, and that the olympic talk isnt with a wink :



olympic mixed team relay

Clif notes version:

-with the new bike power from everyone in Kona, the swim is even more critical now.
- wants to use ITU to get faster in water.
- doesn't want favors to make or not make the team.
- thinks he can be a potential domestique for Birt
- sees the MTR bike leg as a strength


My take is that this is just a good way to get faster in the water. Some athletes like that racing setting as a carrot, where others can grind away in the pool for 4 months before the next race, etc. I'd question his understanding of the MTR bike leg and his perceived strength because imo he's going to be too far back of the swim to actually use that bike strength and then his run is going to only basically lose any advantage he had. I'd secondly question why wait this late in the game cus he won't even make points to be eligible imo. So I think it goes back to using this as more of a carrot to improve his swim block of training over some real olympic dream. I mean I'm sure he thinks he can do it, but honestly it's a bit laughable that he's looking at the MTR bike leg as some massive strength to think he can make ITU olympics. Hell if he gets a ranking out of this, I'd say that's a successful venture into ITU.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Hell if he gets a ranking out of this, I'd say that's a successful venture into ITU. //

But isnt everyone just focusing on the races, and ignoring the real question? Who does he have to beat out? And that is the only thing that matters, if he ends up being 2nd fastest Aussie male, isnt it? Now I dont really know who that is at the moment, but that is the guy that has to be worried at the moment. He can swim ok, bike great, then run ok, but it only matters if he beats the 2nd place guy, that's the metric in my mind, as long as he clears the bar to actually be on the team first. Now that is for the relay.


The domestic job is of course a much different bar, and of course he has a lot longer bike to make an impact. But it of course will come down to how close can eh get his swim in short notice? Only the race will answer that question, so I will be watching along with the rest of you...

Who does he have to beat out?

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Lots and lots and lots of people. He wont even come close to an ranking that gets him on the initial eligiblity list until likely April at the earliest. His timing is stupid if he wanted to actually make the Olympics. And so that's why I think this is just a disguised attempt at a swim block. There's no real olympic dream, this is just a pipe dream. There's no reality imo that gets him even close to the required points.

ETA: He's essentially already basically mathematically eliminated, regardless of how well he does at this 1 race or even the next 3-4 races. Granted it may get him more starts, but unless he wins out, he's basically already been eliminated mathematically.


World Ranking top 180

180th has 900 points. Max of 500pts for 1st at DR in 2 weeks. Thus he'd have to win + win the next world cup to even become eligible, regardless of how fast he was within the Aussies. And as I said if he finishes in middle of the pack to score 44 pts that would be a huge achievement for him, let alone talk about 500 pts lol.

That's why I've asked, who's he talking to that has put this into his ear cus they have no understanding of the rankings or selection process imo.

You dont go for the Olympics 2/3rd of the way through the olympic process. It's not just a "win and your in" process. But this will get him some hype, it'll get the race some interest, so everyone wins. But to say your going for the olympics at this point in the game, just doesn't make a lot of sense.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Is there really a mixed relay division he mentioned , and how does soneone qualify for that?

Yes you qualify by taking an individual race spot (there's no specific rule that says you have to race it; you just simply take the individual slot and thus almost assured to race....but some athlete out there may DNS/DNF the individual race to rest up for the MTR). It's done this way to limit the number of athletes that are in the Games....essentially you must be part of the individual race to be part of MTR. You must be ranked in the following to be eligible for the individual race:

-top 180 of the itu world ranking (formerly itu points list)

OR

-top 140 of the olympic qualification ranking



Then you must qualify through your own federation's guidelines, of which some have tougher AQ (auto qualify) standards than others. Obviously Wurf would go on discretion (picked by the federation). However he simply doesn't have enough races left in the qualification calendar imo to make the eligiblity ranking. He would need to podium in at min 2-3 world cups to make it, and let's be real. If he finishes top 25-30 that would be a HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT, next weekend; let alone a top 10. He imo has the wrong strengths to be competitive in ITU. As the saying goes "if you could have done it, you would have already done it".


But again, if this is the carrot that gets his juices flowing to actually up his swim game- mission accomplish. But the reality his olympic dream pathway is already all but over. Unless you think he can actually podium, he's basically already mathematically eliminated; irregardless of how good or bad he is on the Aussie team.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

It's hype so he can get attention

Side note seeing him in person.. wasn't looking toothpick thin as IM Italy

I can't actually believe folk think he's in the same zip code as the top 3 Aussie ITU guys. This is madness!

He doesn't need to podium in 2-3 world cups necessarily, but he's got very limited real estate in order to get his ranking into the range (he'll need points from 5-6 races at the WC/WTS level, before qualification closes, and those will need to largely be solid results (a few podiums for sure makes it easier, but a combination of top 10 results might be able to do it, if there are some top 10s from a couple of WTS races in there early next year). Throw aside the whole selection piece, and the flaws in his argument (yes, percentage wise, the Bike is the longest component of an MTR, or sprint, or Oly tri or even a 70.3 or IM, but he has to establish that he can actually ride at that level (an MTR bike leg is not like a pro Bike race (maybe a prologue TT in a stage race is the least far from it) and nothing like an ironman) in those distances, after swimming in that type of setting...), even being eligible for selection is the hard part at this point... He's at zero points, so his shot at a top 140 olympic ranking are basically screwed, since he can't score higher than zero for the first qualifying window, because that ended months ago, so that's 5 races worth of points that he's now behind everyone else trying to hit that ranking threshold, so all he can do is earn points for window 2, which is a max of 6 results (whereas many others will have points from 10 races counting towards ranking). His only shot is at getting into the top 180 on world ranking (because he's at less of a disadvantage there in terms of the number of races that count in the rankings), and even that, is an issue, being at zero points, and having 7months to get there (if he races every world cup and WTS race between now and then, there are are about 10 races to play with there, and maybe a good showing at the Oceania champs (conti cup level) because of the increased point values, gives him one more race that could help with moving him up...), the other Conti Cup level races won't have enough points to really help him in terms of cracking the top 180 (but he might need to race some of those anyways just to get enough points to make the start lists...)...

He's a notorious smack talker, and when he does something, he typically goes all in, so I think he figures, worst case he improves his swim, and if he can actually pull off even being eligible for discretionary olympic selection, that's a bonus... Either way, we're talking about it, which is good for him, and it might bring some long course fans to pay some casual attention to a late season world cup races, that they would otherwise ignore... so in that way, it helps the sport...

Yes super hype for him, super hype for a world cup in freaking Dominican Republic in November a dead period for the sport, and hype for those athletes about the lack the "smack" on him (and there will be lots).

In a way this reminds me of Andy Kaufman, he's the perfect heel.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Ha and before all the masses who come to ITU cus of Wurf and then complain of the itu coverage....no he aint going to make the coverage.....they never cover the last 15 out of the water, as the rest of the race is a mile up the road. You probaly won't even get a split to him during the coverage and will have to use the "live data" from the triathlon.org/live site. He'll get some video coverage when/if he makes a chase group, maybe just maybe you see him in the background at some point, but you likely wont know his splits from the broadcast. Maybe they give him a shout out but the commentators only know the splits from the live data, they won't know the splits any better than the audience watching. They simply watch the coverage and comment and wave as the racers pass them by on some point on the race.

So dont hate on ITU for the lack of coverage on Wurf if/when it happens. The $25 per year costs for all WTS and world cups is the best value in the sport.




#knowledgeispower

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Mathematically he only needs 1 result. A high place in a WTS race would put him over the threshold. I don’t think that is going to happen, but your “mathematically” argument is not correct. In any case who doesn’t love it when someone switches disciplines or even sports? Maybe MvdP will go for the MTR with the dutchies...

A WTS *standard* distance only race by finishing 1st or 2nd. Abu Dhabi would not qualify the points to clear the 180th ranking. That leaves Bermuda or Yoko as the only events in ITU that he can place high enough to AQ on points and then be eligible for the olympics.

So I'll stand by my statement that he's essentially already mathematically eliminated.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

 In any case who doesn’t love it when someone switches disciplines or even sports? Maybe MvdP will go for the MTR with the dutchies..
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When MTR first became a thing I was hoping it would simply be 1 swimmer, 1 biker, 1 runner as a "relay". I'd prefer that more than what the actual format is currently. I am probaly in the waaaaaay minority, but I find the MTR outside of about 6 teams not as exciting as a MTR could have been let me just say that. But I get it, it's basically all star format, and it's all the rage. And I'll cheer it on and watch it, etc etc., but I'd just have preferred an true "relay" of the best of each discipline. That would be one hell of an event.

ETA: And yes I know they couldn't do that for gender equality since one gender would be less represented etc. It goes back to the old days of what the Silverman tri out in Las Vegas where they were creating world class relay teams to set a world record 10 or so years ago.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

That is perfect - Cam Wurf, the Andy Kaufman of triathlon!

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

Nice of the resident sook to chime in.

 I just don't like Wurf or his attitude, you do, good for you

Then enjoy this photo of him raising money for disabled kids.