The men’s Ironman WC was decided in Nice, France, just over a month ago. Today it’s time for the ladies to settle on classic Ironman ground, in Kona, Hawaii.
After last year’s enormous pressure on the competition with over 5,500 participants, the organizer concluded that it is not sustainable with so many visitors in the same place. Instead, the idea of splitting the men’s and women’s elite classes was hatched for the first time.
– Actually, it is not only positive. The disadvantage when dividing up is that we get a smaller competition because the men are not in place, says Lisa Nordén to SVT Sport.
Hear her develop her reasoning in the player above.
Compare with the soccer World Cup
Lisa Nordén draws an analogy about women and men playing in the same place and during the same period in a football World Cup.
– I think the ladies would have received much more attention then because the world’s eyes are on the soccer World Cup where the world’s best soccer men are in place with all the soccer media. I think we benefit from each other.
“Can twist and turn”
On the other hand, Nordén highlights the positive in that the approximately 2,200 participating women in the professional class will have all the focus on them because they will have their own competition day.
– It gives us the opportunity to show how exciting women’s triathlon is, which is lost a little when it is packed into a men’s race at the same time, she says and adds:
– You can twist and turn it as much as you like. It’s really cool that we have our own competition, our own day and broadcast. But in the long term, I don’t think we should continue to separate, but that it is good to have the gentlemen in place.