There’s lots of excitement around this weekend’s big showdown at Ironman California in Sacramento between Jan Frodeno, Gustav Iden and Lionel Sanders, but the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) is very focussed on the battle for the #1 spot in it’s ranking. Until Iden’s successful defence of his 70.3 world title, Frodeno had been at the top of the ranking ever since it was announced. He now sits at #2 behind Iden, but a solid win this weekend will likely put him back on top.
The final ranking will be determined at the end of the year, with PTO professionals earning a share of the US$2 million Rankings Bonus Pool. Frodeno and Iden won’t likely be too worried about the difference in prize money – the winner earns $100,000 while second takes home $90,000 – but will be more concerned with finishing the year on top of the standings.
How the PTO World Ranking System works
The ranking is based on an athlete’s best three races during the year. Iden’s top three performances this year have been worth “111.34 points, 110.18 points and 100.12 points, giving him an average of 107.21 points,” according to the PTO. “Frodeno’s three best races are 112.86 points, 107.51 points and 88.10 points giving him and average of 102.82 points. To recapture the PTO World No. 1 spot, Frodeno needs to finish ahead of Iden and have a time that scores at least 101.29 points.”
In case that seems like a long shot, Frodeno has averaged 108.83 points in every long-distance race he’s done except one (one would imagine that is his injury-forced walk to the finish line in Kona).
You can find the men’s world rankings here.
Charles-Barclay on top of the women’s rankings
Her big win at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship put Lucy Charles-Barclay on top of the women’s standings, with and average of 107.65 points for her best three performances, while Daniela Ryf sits a close second at 107.07. Ryf talked about taking some time off after the world championship in St. George, so it’s not certain we will see a similar showdown between the two this year.
You can find the women’s world rankings here.
