"As we are the hosts of the Beijing Games, we have two direct permits for the Olympic triathlon, one each for the men's and women's event," Wang said. "But the permit is conditional. Athletes must rank above 125th place around the world," he added.
Currently there are only two female athletes on the national team, Xing Lin and Wang Hongni, Qualified male athletes are encouraged to attend international contests to raise their rankings above 125 prior to the 2008 Games.
Jiang Zhihang and Kong Jiajie of the men's triathlon team are now Olympic hopefuls.
Athletes Cycle in triathlon competitions. [File photo] |
Wang told the paper that cycling is a weak point for the Chinese team.
The Chinese men's triathlon team is aiming for a medal, and the women's team is going for gold in the Asian Games that will begin on December 1 in Doha, Qatar. "We are very confident the women will take home the gold," Wang said.
As for the Beijing Olympics, Wang said it would be acceptable to place 20th in the triathlon. In the two previous Olympics, Chinese athletes ranked 40th or lower. The Chinese triathlon team still has a long way to go to catch up with their European and American counterparts in the triathlon.
