“Not good enough” for Paris Test event, Gustav Iden gears up for PTO Asian Open
Ironman world champion changes race plans after Olympic test event snub
Photo by:
Kevin Mackinnon
Norway’s Gustav Iden, the reigning Ironman World Champion, says that his “schedule was changed after I was deemed ‘not good enough’ to race the Paris Test Event after spending the first part of the season getting enough points to be on the start list.”
Iden has been competing at draft-legal World Triathlon events this year with the goal of competing at next year’s Olympics in Paris. He’s struggled to achieve the form that saw him take seventh at the Tokyo Games – the loss of his mother to cancer earlier this year has no-doubt been a huge factor in his results this season.
Triathlon world sends supportive messages as Gustav Iden mourns the loss of his mother
Iden has been training at altitude in Font Romeu, France as he prepares for the upcoming Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) Asian Open this weekend.
“My fitness is getting better, but honestly I have no expectations to perform with the top dogs in @professionaltriathletesorg PTO Asian Open Singapore,” Iden wrote in an Instagram post. “Still looking forward to race and explore a new place.”
Iden is obviously disappointed that the Norwegian federation chose not to include him on the Paris Test Event start list – they chose Caspar Stornes instead.
“I made the start list, which in my opinion is “good enough”, but that is how things are sometimes,” Iden wrote.
Iden is currently ranked 70th in World Triathlon’s Olympic Ranking, while Stornes is currently sitting at 103rd. Stornes has been an integral part of the Norwegian mixed relay team, though, helping the team win the European Games, seventh at the world championships and third at the recent World Triathlon Championship Series Sunderland.
“The test event is an important race and we have selected the athletes we think it’s best based on earlier results this year and fitness as it is now,” Norway’s head coach Arild Tveiten told Tri247.com. “And the last place was a close call between Gustav Iden and Casper Stornes. And our coaches and selection committee, together with the Olympic committee, finally decided who will race the test event.”
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