The triathalon is a hugely challanging sport, but the best triathalon competitors of all time make it look easy. A triathalon is made up of three sequential and continuous races within it. The word “Triathlon” is Greek and it means competition. The sport has many variations and this includes cycling, swimming and running over some distances.
Triathletes compete to become the fastest overall in the competition which includes the timed transitions between the races. A transition is usually an area that is set up, where the athletes change their gear for the different segments of the competition. This is where you shall find them switching from cycling to swimming or any other event. These transition areas are normally used to store apparel equipment.
The main focus of the sport is on the grit and persistence of the athletes, their periodized training for each of the disciplines and their overall ability to combine workouts with strength conditioning. Our editors have dug into the history of the sport and come up with a list of the best Triathlon competitors of all time.
The Big List Of The Greatest Triathalon Competitors Of All Time
Anyone who competes in the triathalon is a superstar in our books. It takes an incredible amount of discipline and strength to be able to compete in three back-to-back events. We’ve looked at all the triathletes that have ever competed and come up with a list of five stars that had a little something extra in their arsenal.
Mark Allen
Mark Allen is simply one of the best in the world. He won the Ironman World Championships in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1995, and was named the 3rd greatest Kona athlete of all time. Bach when the race comprised of the three biggest triathlons in the world, Allen won the Nice Triathlon in France and 10 other competitions.
Dave Scott
Dave Scott is a six-time Iron Man Champ, a guru, a coach, an inspiration, an influencer, an innovator, a statesman, and the Iron War Protagonist. He has been towering his presence in Triathlon since the beginning of the sport and his rip-roaring Kona victories are actually epic. His battles with Mark Allen have gone down in history as the best in the triathlon folklore.
Jan Frodeno
If you are wondering who Jan Frodeno is, then you are not alone. The 220’s 2008 cover asked the same thing when they featured a tall and skinny German, who was unknown at the time. He had however upset the odds and became the Olympic Games Champion in that year right after he celebrated his 27th Birthday. A decade later, no one dares ask this question, because he has managed to secure his place in the Triathlon’s history books as one of the greatest in the world.
In 2008, while he was competition in Beijing, he stayed with the big hitters of the sport during the bike and swim sequences and also faced a trio of the more experienced figures during the dying stages of the run. He held his own and was the Champion with a gold medal.
Here are his other accolades: Ironman Champion in 2015, 2016 and 2019, Kona course record holder in 2019, Ironman 70.3 World champion both in 2015 and 2018, Iron-distance world record holder, and he was named by the 220 magazine as the youngest Kona triathlete of all time.
Alistair Brownlee
Alistair was born in West Yorkshire in 1988. He started entering the world of cross-country events when he was only 6 years old and then multi-sports soon followed. He was among the first-ever athletes to have raced in the very beginning. At 17 years old, he won the 2006 Junior World Championship and his reputation of being very tough, despite his boyish looks was established.
He won the U23 World title in 2008, however, his breakout performance was during the 2008 performance where he finished 12th. His other accolades include; Olympic champion in both 2012 and 2016, Commonwealth Games Champion in 2014, ITU world Champion in 2009, and 2011, ETU European Champion in 2010, 2011 and 2014, and the 2nd Ironman 70.3 World Champion in 2018 and 2019.
Javier Gomez
Javier Gomez has a record 5 ITU championship titles, the Xterra world title, two Ironman 70.3 world titles, four European championships, and an Olympic Silver medal. The scariest thing about him is that there is so much more to come from him. He was born in Switzerland in 1983, and then his parents went back to Spain when he was young. As a child, he loved football and mountain biking and his love for swimming finally led him to triathlon competitions.
He won the ITU World Championship in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2014, the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2014, and 2017, the Olympic Games Silver medal in 2012 and the ETU European championship in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2016.
Who Are The Best Triathalon Competitors Of All Time Conclusion
Understanding how a triathlon competition takes place should be the first step to understanding this sport. Though intense and a little complicated, the above athletes have managed to distinguish themselves in the world as some of the best. It is actually believed that if you are good at competing in the triathlon, you can succeed in most other sports. That is part of the reason why many triathletes go on to compete in singular competitions of swimming, biking, and running during the Olympic games.
