World Triathlon

It’s Thursday, which has become universally synonymous with blasts from the past. So, since its both #TBT and our 25th anniversary this year, here’s a look back 25 memorable moments over the years.

April 1, 1989 – The first Congress of ITU was organized in Avignon, France. A total of thirty National Federations were in attendance.
August 6, 1989 – The first ITU World Championships were held in Avignon, France and were won by Mark Allen and Erin Baker.
May 5, 1991 - The first ITU World Cup event was held in St Croix, Virgin Islands. The men’s podium was made up of Mike Pigg, Greg Welch and Mark Allen. The women’s top three were Carol Montgomery, Karen Smyers and Paula Newby-Fraser.
August 28, 1994 - The 12th Olympic Congress was held in Paris in 1994. It was at this congress that the IOC awarded triathlon full medal status on the Olympic programme.
August 22, 1996 - Simon Lessing became the first athlete to win three ITU World Championship titles at the 1996 World Championships in Cleveland, USA.
July 6, 1997 - Brad Beven captured his 17th ITU World Cup title in Gamagori, Japan. The record that still holds to this day for men.
August 30, 1998 – Simon Lessing became the first, and currently only, athlete to win four ITU World Championships with his win in Lausanne.
September 16, 2000 - Brigitte McMahon made history as the first Olympic medallist in the sport of triathlon.
September 17, 2000 - Simon Whitfield became the first men’s gold medallist in triathlon at the Olympic Games.
November 9, 2002 – Under23 category debuted at the ITU Triathlon World Championships in Cancun.
September 11, 2005 - Peter Robertson claimed an emotional third ITU World Championship, while Emma Snowsill claimed her second.
September 2, 2006 – Tim Don was crowned world champion, becoming just the third triathlete to win junior and elite world titles. He also became the first to hold triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon world championships.
September 3, 2006 - Emma Snowsill became the first woman to win three ITU World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.
May 25th, 2008 - Vanessa Fernandes won her 20th ITU World Cup title in the same place where she won her first - in Madrid.
August 20, 2008 – ITU announced its partnership with Lagardère Sports to launch a World Championship Series in 2009. 
November 29, 2008 – Marisol Casado became the second President in ITU history, earning the position by acclamation. Loreen Barnett went uncontested in the newly re-structured Secretary General role. ITU former president Les McDonald retired.
September 12, 2009 - Alistair Brownlee went straight from winning an U23 title in 2008 to his first major ITU World Championship win with a dominant victory at the Gold Coast Grand Final.
August 15 2010 - Japan’s Yuka Sato won the first medal of the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games in triathlon.
August 16, 2010 - New Zealand’s Aaron Barclay won the men’s first YOG gold medal medal.
December 11, 2010 - The International Paralympic Committee accepts Paratriathlon into the Paralympic Games program, to debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
August 4, 2012 – Nicola Spirig won the women’s triathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games in a spectacular photo finish, approximately 15cm ahead of silver medallist Lisa Norden.  It was the first time in Olympic triathlon history that gold was decided in a photo finish. 
August 7, 2012 – Alistair Brownlee dominated the men’s triathlon to win gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Javier Gomez won silver while Jonathan Brownlee took bronze, marking the first time siblings have been on the Olympic triathlon podium.
August 24, 2013 – Alistair Brownlee won his 15th WTS title in Stockholm, which is seven more than any other athlete ever.
September 14, 2013 - Great Britain’s Non Stanford became the first female athlete to go straight from winning an U23 world title to a senior one in London.
September 15, 2013 – For the second year in a row, Javier Gomez and Jonathan Brownlee battle down the finish chute, with Gomez edging out Brownlee to win his third World Championship title.