Olympics selection loophole leaves Aussie gutted

Australian marathon runner Liam Adams is devastated, confused and searching for answers, fearing his hopes of competing at the Paris Olympics have been dashed by a controversial World Athletics move.

Adams and Athletics Australia are both urgently looking for answers from World Athletics after the 37-year-old was bumped out of the 80 spots said to be available for the men’s marathon at the Paris Games.

While Adams hadn’t met the 2:08:10 entry standard — his best time within the qualification period was 2:08:39 — it was expected he would qualify for his third Olympic campaign via world rankings.

Seventy runners satisfied the entry standard, leaving Adams and Athletics Australia believing that 10 places would be filled via world rankings.

However, World Athletics has awarded “universality” places to 11 athletes and has done so before the end of the marathon world rankings period, finishing on May 12. Furthermore, the governing body did not name those places in addition, rather including them at the expense of athletes holding a quota place via world rankings.

Regarding universality places, World Athletics documentation states that any national Olympic committee that does not have an athlete qualified in any track and field event can enter their best-ranked athlete in the 100m, 800m or marathon.

The 11 universality qualifiers have bumped Adams from inside the top 80 in World Athletics’ Road to Paris table and left him placed 85th.

Of the athletes given universality places, the quickest time within the qualification period was 2:08:26 and the slowest 2:21:17. One of the athletes given a universality place does not have a marathon time listed on his World Athletics profile.

The men’s and women’s Australian marathon teams are expected to be announced by the Australian Olympic Committee next week.

While Adams may have earned a quota place for Australia, Athletics Australia selectors could use the potential quota place to pick Andy Buchanan, given he achieved a time of 2:11:30. He clocked 2:08:58 in the Hamburg Marathon in April.

Brett Robinson (2:07:31) and Patrick Tiernan (2:07:45) both achieved the entry standard within the qualification period.

If Adams knew how the situation regarding universality places would unfold, he would have had another crack at hitting the entry standard before the qualification period closed on April 30. The last marathon he raced was the Melbourne Marathon in October.

“Athletics Australia is seeking clarification from World Athletics on the impact to athletes, following their announcement of adding 11 universality places to the Olympic marathon,” Athletics Australia said in a statement provided to Wide World of Sports.

“We want to see as many Australian athletes as possible run in the marathon in Paris and we are awaiting more information at this time.”

Wide World of Sports has requested comment from World Athletics.

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