Duathlon – Qualification Criteria for 2017 ITU World Championship
2016 USA Triathlon Age Group Sprint Duathlon National Championship (Bend, Oregon):
USAT will allot eight (8) ITU World Championship spots for women in each age group and eight (8) ITU World Championship spots for men in each age group at this event. Additional spots may be available if not all ITU World Championship spots are claimed at the ITU Draft-Legal Sprint Qualifier in New Orleans, LA on November 6, 2016.
All athletes claiming an ITU World Championship spot must meet the minimum eligibility requirements in order to receive a pass down slot which includes:
- a) finishing 9th to 18th in the respective age group, OR
- b) being within 30% of the first place finishing athlete's time in the age group at the USAT National Championship race
Note that the deadline to claim ITU World Championship spots is 35 days before the ITU Duathlon World Championship, regardless of how many slots may remain open after that deadline. USAT reaches Team USA capacity in each age group when 18 athletes have confirmed their spots.
- Example 1: Joe Doe finishes in 7th in his age group at the USAT National Championships in Bend, OR with a finish time that is 10% behind the top finisher's time in his age group. Joe is eligible for an ITU World Championship spot because there are 8 spots available in his age group.
- Example 2: Jeff Smith finishes in 7th in his age group at the USAT National Championships in Bend, OR with a finish time that is 34% behind the top finisher's time in his age group. Although Jeff did not finish within 30% of the first place finisher's time, he is still eligible for an ITU World Championship spot because he was still in the top 8 finishers.
- Example 3: Jane Wynn finishes 19th in her age group at the USAT National Championships in Bend, OR with a finish time that is 26.5% behind the top finisher's time in her age group. Not all of the eight ITU World Championship spots have been claimed by finishers in front of her in her age group. Even though Jane was not in the top 18 in her age group, Jane would still be eligible for an ITU World Championship spot if one became available because she was less than 30% behind her age group's top finisher.
- Example 4: Janice McGee finishes 19th in her age group at the USAT National Championships in Bend, OR with a finish time that is 32% behind the top finisher's time in her age group. Even if the eight ITU World Championship spots have not been claimed by finishers in front of her, Janice would NOT be eligible for a World Championship spot.
2016 ITU Draft-Legal Sprint Duathlon World Championship Qualifier in New Orleans, LA on November 6:
This event will qualify athletes for the ITU Draft Legal Sprint Duathlon World Championship in 2017.
USAT will reserve up to ten (10) ITU World Championship spots for women in each age group and up to ten (10) ITU World Championship spots for men in each age group at this event. In order to be eligible to claim his/her ITU World Championship spot, each qualifying athlete must place within the top 10 in their age group AND be within the established cut-off time (as calculated by USAT based on results at the 2016 USAT Age Group non-draft Sprint Duathlon National Championships in Bend, OR). The qualifying time table is posted below.
Athletes will compete in this event based on age as of December 31, 2017.
Note that because athlete's eligibility to claim an ITU World Championship spot at this event is based on results from the USAT Age Group Sprint Duathlon National Championships, it is possible that not all 10 spots in each age group will be filled (meaning some people will miss the time back qualification).
Note: The following examples are not representative of the actual percentages that will be calculated after the 2016 USAT Duathlon National Championship in Bend, Oregon. They are noted here to create more clarity for the qualification process.
- Example 1: Michael Smith places 1st in his 50-54 aged up age group at the 2016 ITU Sprint Worlds Qualifier and automatically qualifies for the 2017 ITU Sprint Duathlon World Championship with a time of 59:45. That time will be what USAT uses to calculate the percentage back for the age group.
- Example 2: John Jay finishes 11th in the 50-54 aged up age group, only 4% back of the first place finish time in his age group. Even if he was within the qualifying % of the top finisher's time in his age group according to the table published by USAT, John would NOT be eligible for an ITU World Championship spot since he was not in the top 10 finishers in his age group.
- Example 3: Judy Collins finishes 10th in her age group with a time that is 12% behind her age group's top finisher. If the table of qualifying times published by USAT established a cut off time that is 14% behind this age group's top finisher, Judy would be eligible for an ITU World Championship spot. IF she was 11th in her age group, she would have failed to meet the qualification.
| Age | Percentage Between 1st-18th* |
|---|---|
| 15-19 Male | 36.0% |
| 15-19 Female | 41.7% |
| 20-24 Male | 40.2% |
| 20-24 Female | 34.2% |
| 25-29 Male | 18.0% |
| 25-29 Female | 41.5% |
| 30-34 Male | 50.9% |
| 30-34 Female | 40.7% |
| 35-39 Male | 39.9% |
| 35-39 Female | 57.0% |
| 40-44 Male | 40.6% |
| 40-44 Female | 39.3% |
| 45-49 Male | 32.8% |
| 45-49 Female | 44.5% |
| 50-54 Male | 22.2% |
| 50-54 Female | 37.1% |
| 55-59 Male | 24.4% |
| 55-59 Female | 34.8% |
| 60-64 Male | 32.5% |
| 60-64 Female | 21.5% |
| 65-69 Male | 39.3% |
| 65-69 Female | 32.3% |
| 70-74 Male | 39.8% |
| 70-74 Female | 14.0% |
| 75-79 Male | 19.3% |
| 75-79 Female | N/A |
| 80-84 Male | 39.6% |
| 80-84 Female | N/A |
| 85-89 Male | 21.9% |
| 85-89 Female | N/A |
*In the event there were not 18 finishers in a specific age group, the percetage will be based on the last finisher.