Paris 2024 Qualifying News

[Grassmarket]

Think we want a thread on this! Yesterday - 1 July - marked the beginning of the main Athletics qualifying period which runs through to 30/06/24.

*Marathons, Combined Events, 10,000m & race walks started last year.

Here’s the official list of times, distances & heights - on Page 10. Could someone paste it into a table? I’m working on a tablet here, it’s tricky.

https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/63a1742ced7e871d1a269206.pdf

[LuckySpikes]

Done! Although because it's an image, you'll probably need to be logged in to see it.

[Grassmarket]

Thanks! Of course standards are rigorous because places in each event are very strictly limited, so the idea is to have a small number of Auto-Qs then fill up the rest on world rankings & national quotas for the Afghanistans, Fijis etc.

[Occasional Hope]

So Daryll Neita gets our first auto qual with her 22.50 in Stockholm.

[marra]

Would add the small caveat that UKA *could* set targets that are tougher than the WA ones - that's what British swimming has done at times and given the regime at UKA now, it's not impossible that they will follow suit. .

[treadwater1]

BA need to be clearer about the marks they expect for Paris. They announced their tougher selection policies for Budapest in March of this year when the qualifying window opened last summer in most events.

[libarun]

KJT also has the auto Q after her score at Gotzis in May of course, with the window for combined events being open for longer.

[Ladyloz]

Emile Cairess and Samantha Harrison in the Marathon.

[CAML]

Those field event standards are so detached from reality for 99% of UK athletes, that they are contributing to the ongoing malaise. There are lots of field events in Europe where standards are dropping rapidly, particularly looking at this year's EJ rankings. I do wonder if something more sinister is afoot for our jumpers and throwers.

[Ursus]

In the last 5 OG that men’s spear standard would have picked up a 4th, 2 bronzes, a silver and a gold.

[philipo]

Those field event standards are so detached from reality for 99% of UK athletes, that they are contributing to the ongoing malaise. There are lots of field events in Europe where standards are dropping rapidly, particularly looking at this year's EJ rankings. I do wonder if something more sinister is afoot for our jumpers and throwers.

The reality being they are not talented enough and are not coached to a decent standard.
There are many countries whose field event athletes produce far superior performances to the GB athletes. They come from countries without being at the very top of the athletics tree. A number of tiny places with little tradition in our sport produce javelin guys, hammer throwers, shot putters. Our male jumpers are a disgrace. The Italians produce shot putters,why not GB.The only sinister thing I see is excuse makers on this Forum.

[jjimbojames]

I think the combination of organisers wanting fewer athletes at the majors (cost, TV window etc) is coinciding with other parts of the world catching up with investment in sport and talent, so overall standards are rising and fewer athletes are planned to make it.

The smaller nations tend to send their best athletes off (through scholarship) to e.g. the US college system. Success there brings attention to the sport at home and others want to follow. As the ES Champs this weekend showed, we have some great talent and the coaches for them at their current level - but how many coaches / facilities are in place to take them to the next level?

[treadwater1]

WA have increased the field sizes in the field events from 32 to 36, yet have increased standards also. It's a back door method of going from 50% via standards / 50% via rankings to 40/60.

[marra]

I think the combination of organisers wanting fewer athletes at the majors (cost, TV window etc) is coinciding with other parts of the world catching up with investment in sport and talent, so overall standards are rising and fewer athletes are planned to make it.

The smaller nations tend to send their best athletes off (through scholarship) to e.g. the US college system. Success there brings attention to the sport at home and others want to follow. As the ES Champs this weekend showed, we have some great talent and the coaches for them at their current level - but how many coaches / facilities are in place to take them to the next level?

This could be something of a recency bias on my part, but I think we're starting to do the same re the US collegiate system. Certainly in the last few years there seem to be far more British athletes making the trip over there than there used to be, at least in my mind.

The point you make around around visibility is also key - I would suggest that the fact that we have a crop of good young female hammer throwers now could at least be partially explained by their seeing Sophie Hitchon's 2014-16 success and being inspired to stick with the sport as a result.

As various people have pointed out, there's been a marked shift towards pushing qualification through quotas rather than standards. Which makes UKA's decision to downplay quota places all the more baffling.

[treadwater1]

The selection policy for Paris was released this week, available below:

https://www.uka.org.uk/performance/2023-selection-policies/

UKAs strategy is essentially the same as this years, having a B standard for the field events, following the WA standard in most of the track events but there’s a twist as quite a few standards, especially on the women’s side have been lowered further than the Budapest standards

[jjimbojames]

I’m guessing because the BOA pay, rather than UKA…so the cost issue isn’t an issue

[Occasional Hope]

Aren't the standards actually tougher next year?

[jjimbojames]

Ah - I thought “lowered” was suggesting they were easier (haven’t seen them!).

[Occasional Hope]

They're in post no. 2 of this thread, and in the image attached to post 11.

[marra]

Yeah, most of the WA standards are slightly tougher for the Olympics than the Worlds. Some are unchanged.

The UKA standards are the same as this year.

[Grassmarket]

So a bountiful crop of new Paris Qs there ie World Athletics standards. (Not including those that already have it)

Zharnel Hughes 200m
MHS 400m
Max Burgin & Ben Pattison 800m
Neil Gourley, Elliot Giles & Matthew Stonier 1500m
Tade Ojora 110m
Katie Snowden 800m
Aimee Pratt Steeple
Jessie Knight 400m Hurdles

[Grassmarket]

Also from Monaco Friday

Laura Muir 1500m*
DAS 200m

*Times set mid-race in the Mile are valid