2 September 2014
For immediate release from Triathlon New Zealand, for further information visit www.triathlon.kiwi or www.triathlon.org
BAKER ONE OF SIX INAUGURAL INDUCTEES INTO TRIATHLON HALL OF FAME
New Zealand’s Erin Baker was last night honoured as one of the first six inductees into the International Triathlon Hall
of Fame, being named in Edmonton at the ITU World Championships from the list of 25 nominees released by the ITU a month
ago.
Baker is regarded as a great pioneer of the sport, racing at a time when the sport was establishing itself around the
world but especially in the United States. Baker was renowned as an athlete who would dominate all opposition over any
distance and equally was known for her principled and outspoken stand on all manner of issues – from the sporting to
political.
Originally coached by John Hellemans, Baker became self-coached as she continued always to push the boundaries of the
sport, winning an ITU World Championship in 1989 and going on to win the Kona Ironman World Championship on two
occasions (1987, 1990) and finishing runner-up on a further three occasions. Baker also won the World Duathlon
Championships in 1991.
Baker won (along with Rick Wells in the men’s) the demonstration event Triathlon at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games
and ended her career with an incredible 104 wins from 121 triathlons entered, across all distances and in all parts of
the world.
Baker was named “Triathlete of the decade” by American magazine Triathlete. The magazine commented on her success by saying, “We’ve stopped trying to figure Erin out, we just accept her as the
best female triathlete that ever lived.”
Baker was recognized in the 1993 New Year Honours, made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services as a
triathlete.
Triathlon New Zealand President Garry Boon says Baker was a star that inspired thousands and helped pave the way for the
sport.
“Triathlon in New Zealand has a proud and decorated history with contributions from many people in different areas. Few
though can match the record that Erin fashioned in the sport across all distances and events, she was simply a fierce
competitor with an amazing ability to swim bike and run like no one else then and perhaps since.
“It is thanks to people like Erin that the sport has evolved to the point it has today, globally and here in New
Zealand. On behalf of the entire triathlon and sporting community here in New Zealand I extend my congratulations to
Erin on her induction into the Hall of Fame, an honour richly deserved.”
Here is the release from the ITU:
Edmonton, Canada (31 August 2014) – As a part of its 25th year anniversary celebrations, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) today inducted seven
individuals into its inaugural Hall of Fame on the penultimate evening of the 2014 TransCanada Corp. Grand Final
Edmonton.
“It is a great privilege to induct these nominees into the first Hall of Fame,” said ITU President and IOC Member
Marisol Casado. “They set a standard of excellence from the very beginning that was crucial to the development of both
triathlon and ITU. Without them, we would not enjoy the global level of exposure and Olympic standard of competition
that we have today.”
Following a day of elite racing in which two World Champions were named, the below were inducted into the Hall of Fame:
Elite Women
Erin Baker (NZL) – ITU World Champion (1989), 3 x ITU World Cup wins
Karen Smyers (USA) – 2 x ITU World Champion (1990, 1995), ITU Long Distance World Champion (1996), 7 ITU World Cup wins,
ITU World Cup Series winner (1991)
Emma Carney (AUS) –2 x ITU World Champion (1994, 1997), 19 ITU World Cup wins, 3 x ITU World Cup Series winner (1995,
1996, 1997)
Elite Men
Mark Allen (USA) – First ITU World Champion, Multiple ITU Long Distance and World Cup winner
Simon Lessing (GBR) – 4 x ITU World Champion (1992, 1995, 1996, 1998), Long-Distance Triathlon World Champion (1995), 7
x ITU World Cup wins, Olympian
Greg Welch (AUS) –ITU World Champion (1990). ITU World Cup Series winner (1991), ITU Duathlon World Champion (1993), ITU
World Long Distance Champion (1996)
Lifetime Achievement
Les McDonald (CAN) – ITU President (1989-2008), Triathlon Canada President (1984-1996),
Largely credited with adding triathlon to the Olympic Games.
The inductees were narrowed down from a shortlist of 25 individuals in the categories of elite female and male athlete
accomplishments, as well as lifetime achievements. Those nominated for the men’s and women’s categories were selected
based on the criteria that each has a championship title in one or more ITU World Championships, Olympic Games,
Paralympic Games, World Cup Series, and/or ITU World Rankings.
Lifetime Achievement Nominees were selected based on their extraordinary, long-term contributions off the field of play
or through an exceptional contribution to ITU and the sport of triathlon.
About the International Triathlon Union (ITU):
The International Triathlon Union is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related
MultiSport disciplines including Duathlon, Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon and Winter Triathlon. ITU was founded in 1989 at
the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France. It has maintained its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada since then and also
has offices in Lausanne, Switzerland and Madrid, Spain. It now has over 167 affiliated National Federations on five
continents and is the youngest International Federation in the Olympic Games. Triathlon was awarded Olympic Games status
in 1994 and made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000. Triathlon is also featured in the Asian Games, Pan American Games and
Commonwealth Games. Paratriathlon was accepted into the Paralympic Games in 2010 and will make its Paralympic debut in
Rio 2016. ITU is proudly committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide through strong relationships
with continental and national federations, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development programme
from grassroots to a high-performance level. For more information, visit:www.triathlon.org
ENDS