When the Dutch Federation announced its selection for the 2016 Olympic Games on Tuesday, a notable name was not among the riders selected to toe the start line in Rio in August. National coach Johan Lammerts, the Dutch Federation's one-man selection committee, named Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv), Ellen van Dijk (Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team), Annemiek van Vleuten (Orica-AIS) and London Olympic gold medallist Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv) to the team. Chantal Blaak, who consistently posted the best results amongst her compatriots this spring, had not made the selection.
"I am really, really disappointed," Blaak told Cyclingnews in an exclusive interview following the team announcement. "With my results this spring, I was as confident as I could be that I would be selected, and I think I deserve a spot. Based on my results. But everyone in the national team deserves a spot.
"I need to accept how it is," Blaak added. "It was a dream to go to Rio, to be there, to do my best for the Netherlands and that dream is gone now."
ADVERTISEMENT
To understand Blaak's reaction, one first needs to understand her nation's selection process. The Netherlands lacks automatic selection criteria, so every rider earns a spot through discretionary selection. The selection decision rests in the hands of one person – national coach Johan Lammerts, after which the Dutch Olympic Federation approves his decision, but widely assumed as a formality.
Blaak has the option to appeal her non-selection, but with a single individual having sole authority to make selection decisions, the appeal process could be an exercise in futility.
"It's not worth it, and I should not have a good feeling about it because I have the World Championships to think about," Blaak said. "It's important for me to keep a good relationship with Johan and the federation."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2569GcI
No comments:
Post a Comment