Kiwi Olympic stoush brewing as 'better athlete' overlooked for Games

Triathlon New Zealand caused an immediate stir when it was discovered Tayler Reid (L) had been nominated for the Olympics ahead of Sam Ward. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

An Olympic triathlon selection stoush is brewing after nominations for both the men's and women's team have been appealed.

Triathlon New Zealand notified its eligible athletes last week who it intended to nominate for Olympic selection and it caused an immediate stir when it was discovered that Tayler Reid was picked ahead of Sam Ward.

Reid, from Gisborne, is ranked 51st in the world and has an Olympic individual qualification ranking of 56. Ward, who lives in Cambridge, has a world ranking of 24 and a qualification ranking of 16.

Athletes were given 48 hours to appeal the decision after they were notified on Friday and the Herald understands Ward has appealed.

Ainsley Thorpe and Nicole van der Kaay have been selected on the women's side and a source said this has been challenged by veteran athlete Sophie Corbidge.

It is the men's selection that has caused plenty of chatter in the small but passionate triathlon sector.

Hayden Wilde is New Zealand's top-ranked triathlete at number 14 in the world and would have been the first man selected.

It is the two below that have been the subject of debate: Do you pick your next best athlete, or pick someone specifically to work as a domestique – someone who sacrifices their own race to pace the better athlete through the swim and bike – for Wilde in the individual event?

If the latter is the answer, it opens up philosophical debates around the dispersal of high-performance funding and the nature of the sport itself.

The nominations cover the individual event at Tokyo – postponed from last year – as well as the mixed team relay.

The athletes will be required to race both events and Triathlon NZ feels its best chance to win a medal will come in the relay (a "dubious" belief according to one source), and it is understood they have picked a team with that in mind.

While Ward is recognised as a superior individual athlete than Reid, the latter has been given more opportunities in relay situations.

Sam Ward (NZL) wins bronze at the New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup, New Plymouth. 31 March 2019 Photo: Jo Caird / ITU Media

He was part of the team that won bronze in the Commonwealth Games along with the since retired Ryan Sissons, Andrea Hewitt and van der Kaay.

Former triathlon gold medallist Hamish Carter said he couldn't talk about who Triathlon NZ has nominated, but said the "process is ongoing". Carter is general manager of performance at the organisation.

A long-time source said the decision left Triathlon NZ open to accusations of favouritism.

Reid is coached by Stephen Sheldrake, who is national performance manager at Triathlon New Zealand. On Triathlon NZ's website it lists among his roles "selection and appeals support", though he was not involved in picking this Olympic squad.

Sheldrake was not able to be reached for comment.

The source said there was no way Reid was in the same class as Ward.

"Sam's an amazing runner and the run is where you win triathlons."

The Olympic selection process is often fraught.

The individual national sports organisations and the NZOC draw up a selection criteria. The NSO then nominates the athletes from the criteria, which is then effectively rubber-stamped by nominal NZOC selectors Simon Wickham, Mike Kernaghan, Tony Hall and Lesley Rumball.

When there are limited places and more than that number have met the criteria, the selectors use their judgement, though it is rare for an athlete to be chosen ahead of another with such a wide rankings disparity.

The key clause of the NZOC's selection criteria is 3.3.2, which states: "Any nominated athlete (or athletes in the case of a pair, crew or relay team) seeking to be selected… in an individual event must demonstrate [they] are capable of achieving a top 16 placing… with the potential to win an Olympic Diploma (top 8 placing)."