Multisports: NZ triathletes can make up qualifying points - coach

Ryan Sissons. Photo / Rotorua Daily Post

National triathlon coach Greg Fraine is confident the postponement of next month's world championship series race in Yokohama, Japan, because of radiation fears will not cost New Zealand in the chase for Olympics qualifying points.

Japan's nuclear reactor crisis has forced the postponement of the second race in the series, originally scheduled for May 14. It would have required athletes to swim 1.5km in Yokohama harbour, some 300km south of the Fukushima nuclear plant crippled by last month's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami.

New Zealand was to have been represented by Bevan Docherty, Ryan Sissons and James Alvery in the men's race, and Debbie Tanner, Nicky Samuels and Kate McIlroy in the women's event,

Originally looking to accumulate valuable qualifying points for next year's London Olympics, the New Zealanders now face the prospect of slipping down the points rankings.

They are fifth but could drop a couple of spots with several rivals heavily represented in a World Cup series race at Monterrey, Mexico, next month, which carries qualifying points. The top eight teams in the final standings will qualify three athletes for the Olympics.

"We'll likely lose a couple of spots after Monterrey but it's not irretrievable, we've got another year of qualifying events and as long as all goes to plan and Bevan and Kris [Gemmell] continue to score points, we'll be okay," Fraine said yesterday.

"It impacts on us a little bit because Bevan is low on points and we needed him to score some points for us but nobody else will score points from that race.

The International Triathlon Union had previously said the Yokohama race would go ahead as scheduled unless data showed contamination or a potential risk to athletes.

There has been no indication of when the race might be held although September, after the world championship series events have been completed, looms as the earliest possibility.

The world championship series, which began in Sydney last week, moves to Madrid on June 4-5.

- NZPA