QUALIFICATION RUCKUS LEADS TO IRONMAN ACTION

The backlash over the new system to earn slots for the Ironman World Champs in Hawaii triggered a quick change, but it's tinkering that doesn't risk upsetting its core customers

- TIM HEMING

There was an amusing skit on social media where a young female triathlete professed to having the key to unlocking Ironman World Championship qualification - glue on some facial hair and pretend you're a 50-plus-year-old-man.

The astute jibe was aimed at the new Ironman qualification system that appears to be favouring the older male age groups, with potential women qualifiers suffering as a result.

The performance-based qualification system was introduced in August for 2026 and - with the race returning to just one day in Kona from next year - pitted men and women against each other using an age-graded system for coveted race slots.

Explaining the full detail would take the rest of this column, but suffice to say, there is unrest that women are not only being frozen out, but disenfranchised from even entering a race to qualify in the first place.