A battle to the wire brings 37 countries to the Beijing Olympics
Vancouver, Canada (June 10, 2008) - The International Triathlon Union has issued the preliminary number of Olympic triathlon spots each country has earned with the conclusion of the Vancouver BG Triathlon World Championships this past weekend, the final event in ITU's 2-year Olympic qualifying period. Only eight countries may send the maximum three women to the Beijing Olympic Games.
The Olympic fields are capped at 55 women. In all, 37 different countries will be represented at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games triathlon. An increase on the 32 countries represented in Athens in 2004.
The top countries in the women's Olympic rankings that will send the maximum of three women to Beijing are:
1 - United States
2 - New Zealand
3 - Germany
4 - Australia
5 - Japan
6 - Switzerland
7 - Canada
8 - Austria
With Sarah Haskins' silver medal at world championships, the United States leapt to the top of the standings. Kate Allen's eighth place finish at the world championships, coupled with a poor performance by France's Marion Lorblanchet and the absence of Britain's Michelle Dillon, pulled Austria ahead of France and Great Britain for the final place.
