Zaferes talks about Rio selection
All’s well that ends well, but Katie Zaferes endured nerve wracking anxiety before her ticket to the Rio Olympics was punched by USA Triathlon.
Before USA Triathlon announced Tuesday that Zaferes was on the team, a complex set of selection procedures had to unfold after she finished 6th overall and second U.S. competitor to Gwen Jorgensen at the May 14 WTS Yokohama women’s event.
After Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah True made the U.S. women’s squad for their 1st and 4th place finishes at the Rio Olympic Qualifying event last summer, one slot was left open. The top U.S. woman, excluding already qualified Gwen Jorgensen, to finish on the podium at WTS Yokohama would automatically earn the third U.S. Olympic spot.
When Zaferes missed the Yokohama podium, the USA Triathlon Elite Athlete Selection Committee was tasked to consider whether or not to select a third woman triathlete best suited to serve as a domestíque. A domestíque must be considered because the top qualified U.S. athletes finished in the top 8 at Rio, which USA Triathlon criteria deemed “gold medal capable.”
While Zaferes finished 6th at Rio and thus was also “gold medal capable,” there was no mention in the selection criteria how to measure that against the potential value of a domestíque.
Because no U.S. man achieved a performance eligible for aid by a domestíque all three U.S. men were named on the Olympic team immediately after the Yokohama event based on their standing in the USA Triathlon Objective Rankings System. While the Elite Athlete Selection Committee was required to validate the women and the men, there was no stipulation in USA Triathlon Olympic team selection criteria that the organization could not publicly announce the men’s team before receiving the official vote of the Elite Athlete Selection Committee.
In contrast to the immediate announcement for the men’s team, Zaferes had to wait 10 days until the four-person Elite Athlete Selection Committee was chosen. “This allowed the committee to look over all relevant data to determine whether or not a domestique was warranted,” explained USA Triathlon communications manager Lindsay Wyskowski. “The [four] potential committee members had been tapped prior to WTS Yokohama, but they were not confirmed until after the race to ensure there was no conflict of interest and that fairness was in play for all athletes.”
The final decision by the Elite Athlete Selection Committee to eliminate the domestíque option for men and women was made simultaneously. “The decision was made during a discussion by the Elite Athlete Selection Committee to bypass the discretionary pick and use the Objective Rankings System for both the men and the women,” Wyskowski explained.
No other issues than the domestique option were considered by the Elite Athlete Selection Committee.
Based on the USA Objective Ranking System which included 2015 performances in Rio, WTS Stockholm, WTS Edmonton and the WTS Grand Final in Chicago as well as 2016 WTS Yokohama, Zaferes led all contenders for the third Olympic spot with 1,563 points to 1,024 for Kirsten Kasper, 400 for Erin Jones and 348 for Summer Cook. Not included in the Olympic selection criteria but hard to forget was Zaferes’ remarkable 2015 season which included six WTS podium finishes, just one behind Sarah True’s career total of 7 WTS medals.
Slowtwitch: How did you feel when you got the word you were on the team?
Katie Zaferes: I was pretty relieved just because I thought I deserved it. But I was obviously stoked – really excited and really happy.
ST: Competing for Olympic teams is often a heart breaking business. Emma Snowsill lost out twice – just one of many sad stories. Were you aware of the long list of disappointments?
Katie: I was confident I would get picked but there was a little doubt in my mind. You just never know. I didn’t rest easy the whole week. I never thought, ‘Oh I've got this in the bag.’ I definitely didn’t feel like that.
ST: How nervous were you going into Yokohama? If you did not finish on the podium, did you think that the third spot might be open not only to a domestique, but also to a selectors' choice – and you needed to beat all the other U.S. contenders save Gwen, who already made the team?
Katie: I had pre-race nerves typical of all my races. I knew there were other American women who showed great results and were getting better and better through every race. That definitely creates anxiety but also I was really proud of myself because I got to the point where you just have to show you are the better person that day. I realized those people are going to make me better. Because whatever level they raise their game to, if I want to go to the Olympics, I just have to take it higher.
ST: After the swim you were in 30th place, 15 seconds off the front and behind Summer Cook, Kirsten Kasper, Erin Jones, Gwen Jorgensen and just ahead of Renee Tomlin and Lindsey Jerdonek. Why were you further back than usual?
Katie: I lined up on the left side of the pontoon. When I first looked over, the whole right side was in front of our group to the left. I still don’t know what happened. That definitely made the swim harder. Once I figured out where I was, it made the rest of the swim all about coming up to save the best position possible. When I got out I was pretty far back.
ST: After the bike, you were 33rd, behind Kirsten Kasper, Renee Tomlin, Lindsey Jerdonek and Gwen Jorgensen. How anxious were you?
Katie: It was a pretty imperfect race – until the run. I just never let my mind tell me that the race was over. I felt I was behind everybody starting the run. I definitely saw Kirsten Kasper and Renee Tomlin up there. They started with a vengeance on that run.
ST: How did you keep your cool?
Katie: I tried to not let my emotions play into it at all. I knew the American were ahead. So I decided to work at what I could control – picking off as many people as I could throughout the 10k.
ST: You ran 33:46, behind only Gwen Jorgensen (32:15) and Ashleigh Gentle (33:34) and placed 6th, second American.
Katie: After the race, I was in a hard spot in my heart. I knew if I had positioned myself better coming into T2, I could have finished on the podium and had zero wait to find out I was in the Olympics .
ST: Any explanation why it took 10 days?
Katie: As soon as I finished I knew I hadn’t automatically qualified. Therefore they could take until June 15th to make a decision. One of the first people I saw when I crossed the line was [USA Triathlon High Performance Manager] Andy Schmitz. I remember asking, ‘When will you know?’ He told me he would try to expedite the process as much as possible and maybe by Friday [May 20] I would have an answer. [Answer came Tuesday May 24] I knew it would take some time.
ST: They had option of picking a domestíque. During the wait, what did you say about that?
Katie: I said I think I deserve to go on my own merit, but if that was the only way I would go to the Olympics, I’d be proud to be a domestíque for the USA team. I'm a team player. I felt I am a medal contender, but if I said no to an opportunity go to the Olympics just because of my ego or pride, I’d regret it. I could have said no – I have the chance to go in 2020. But you never know what can happen.
ST: Why did you have such a hot streak of six WTS podiums in 2015?
Katie: I think I found where I belonged. Starting in 2015, that was the first time I worked with someone other than my USAT coaches. Coming up through the USAT recruitment program was awesome because I was with athletes like myself who were all learning and at the same skills level I was. At some point I felt I outgrew that. USA Triathlon thought that too. That is why they leave you in the program for only so long before you graduate out.
I was fortunate to join coach Joel Filliol and work with a team that was above my level. They included Mario Mola, Carolina Routier, and Richard Murray. Rachel Klamer. Vendula Frintova, Marvin Van Riel. Emma Jackson and Rebecca Robisch. They were so much more experienced than me and had different strengths that challenged me in daily workouts that made me so much better. I was also fortunate to travel with Tommy my husband.
ST: Why did Joel Filliol accept you?
Katie: I think I had my in because Tommy was already part of the squad. He vouched for me and said my personality would be a good fit with the team. Also, I spent a lot of time talking to Joel before he decided to accept me. I assured him I was in it for the long haul with him and I would be the team player. So between my results and having people vouch for me – it was like a job interview. You want to have the right mix of personalities on the team.
ST: What made the biggest difference?
Katie: A lot of it was being pushed by the team. Also, Tommy started helping me train as well. He would not watch pace times. But if he saw me breathing easy he would say ‘Well, we’re going to pick it up.’ And a lot of it was having fun. I loved rising to new levels.
ST: It seems that you plateaued a little at the end of 2015 and early 2016. You started finishing off the podium. Were you tired or suffering from small injuries?
Katie: I think a lot of it was many people were starting to rise up because this was an Olympic year. And there were people from the USA who reached a whole new level because they had been competing as elites for a whole year. I don’t know if I was necessarily under-performing. I would say of Yokohama, ‘OK, I wasn’t that happy with much of my race.’ With [2016] Abu Dhabi [DNF] I was overly tired. When I got to the race I was exhausted.
ST: Why?
Katie: We were in the base training period and I didn’t taper for that race. I should have been able to finish. But it was never a target race. Afterwards, Joel looked back and thought, ‘Oh we should have done a few things differently.’ That is one of the things about still learning the sport. I don’t have a lot of experience to draw upon to determine what wasn’t working. I am still trying new things to make me better. And if they don’t work, I am trying something else.
ST: When you were a kid, did you dream of being an Olympic athlete?
Katie: Everyone might think this answer is kind of strange. But I respected people in the Olympics so much. I think I put them on such a high pedestal. I still do. I just never thought of myself as an Olympian in any sport. When I started triathlon, I started my adventure at the Olympic Training Center. Once you are there, you really can’t avoid getting that “I want to go to the Olympics” fever. The atmosphere, the quotes on the wall, the rings, the torch! All the Olympians are there. Even though it is pretty much an individual sport, you get a team vibe. Being twice on the podium with Sarah and Gwen, those were my proudest moments. To hear the national anthem played for all of us is a feeling you can’t describe. But it makes your heart really full.
ST: How did you celebrate making the team?
Katie: We haven’t done anything specific yet. Last week we had a week off training. It was Tommy’s 30th birthday. So we celebrated that. My family is coming out to Santa Cruz on my birthday, June 9. I haven’t seen them since Christmas.
ST: What did Joel say?
Katie: He sent me a flexing arm emoji. It’s funny. Because as much as we are happy I made the Olympics, there was a lot I didn’t get right in the race itself. He wasn't that stoked with my race at Yokohama. But I’d much rather have that honest approach than clapping me on the back.
Slowtwitch: We asked Katie's coach Joel Filliol for his own thoughts on Katie being selected, and he responded with the following.
Joel Filliol: It was a tough wait for Katie, but I’m delighted now that she is confirmed for the US Team for Rio. Katie has had a rapid rise through the sport, and many outstanding performances over the last 18 months. We are really looking forward to now focusing on the preparation for this opportunity to race the best at the Rio Games.
