KEY POINTS:
Andrea Hewitt and Shane Reed were yesterday named as the final triathlon selections for the Beijing Olympics
Hewitt edged out Nicky Samuels and Reed pipped Terenzo Bozzone for the remaining spots. Both Samuels and Bozzone have been named as reserves in the event of injury or illness ruling anyone unfit to compete.
In ratifying their nominations and confirming their selection for Beijing, the New Zealand Olympic selectors said they were satisfied Triathlon New Zealand had undergone a robust, transparent and fair selection process in nominating the final two athletes.
Earlier, Reed had said he would retire from the sport if he did not earn selection.
Neither Hewitt nor Reed finished high enough at the 2007 Beijing World Cup or the 2008 ITU BG World Cup in Mooloolaba to automatically qualify for Beijing under Triathlon NZ selection criteria.
The criteria were clearly signposted to all athletes well in advance. So too was the discretion of the selectors to make the final decision should athletes not qualify according to those criteria.
Triathlon NZ chief executive Dave Beeche acknowledged the work of the selectors (Josie Sinclair, Rick Wells, Lyne Pattle) and the difficult task they faced.
"This decision was a clearly a difficult one with each athlete's merits considered by the selectors in making their decision and while it is a tough call for those who miss out, today is one of celebration for Andrea and Shane, both of whom will join Sam, Debbie, Bevan and Kris and represent their country and Tri NZ with pride and distinction in Beijing.
"Our depth and quality of elite athletes brings headaches when it comes to team selection for events such as the Olympics and world championships. Essentially someone is going to be unlucky to miss out, as has been the case here."
Hewitt and Reed will race this weekend in the ITU BG World Cup event at New Plymouth, a perfect way to celebrate their selection in front of a home crowd.
Triathlon NZ's high-performance director and Olympic team leader Stephen Farrell was pleased the team had been finalised. "Now ... we can concentrate on the challenge of turning potential into medals at Beijing.
"The expectation may be high after gold and silver medals from Hamish [Carter] and Bevan [Docherty] at Athens but the reality is that the six Olympic triathlon medals up for grabs in Beijing will be as elusive as any in the competition.
"We believe we have genuine medal prospects among the men's and women's teams."
TRIATHLON TEAM
Men: Bevan Docherty, Kris Gemmell, Shane Reed
Women: Sam Warriner, Debbie Tanner, Andrea Hewitt
