From Denmark to Israel

March 21, 2016

It’s the top triathletes from 50 countries. We’re moving into high gear: 10 countries at a time.

Denmark has produced more than its share of top triathletes. Standing atop a renowned group of internationally accomplished Danish swim-bike-run competitors is Rasmus Henning.

Over a 10-year period, Henning scored big performances from Olympic distance through Ironman. In 2001, he earned silver at the ITU Long Distance World Championship. He was 7th at the 2004 Olympics and 8th in 2008. Earning a reputation as a clutch big money performer, he scored $200,000 top prizes at the 2007 and 2008 Hy-Vee Elite Cups and $50,000 for his win at the 2012 Abu Dhabi International. Taking on the Ironman distance, Henning won 2010 Challenge Roth with a time of 7:52:36 and took 5th at the Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2009.

Slightly behind Henning is Thunder Bear – Torbjorn Sindballe. This unusually large elite triathlete (6-feet 3-inches 177 pounds) won gold at the ITU long distance Worlds twice (2004 and 2006) and twice silver (1999 and 2002). He won Ironman 70.3 California (2005), placed 2nd at Ironman Wisconsin (2003) and Ironman Florida (2008), and was 3rd at Challenge Roth (2008), Ironman New Zealand )2007) and Ironman Hawaii (2007) before retiring in 2009 due to a bicuspid aortic valve.

Helle Frederiksen is still active and is giving the retired Henning a run for the top Dane title. She won the $100,000 top prize at the 2014 edition of Hy-Vee and $100,000 for her win at Challenge Bahrain. She is a 6-time Ironman 70.3 winner, the 2013 Life Time Triathlon Series runner-up and placed 27th at the 2012 Olympics.

Elizabeth Bravo is the best triathlete produced by Ecuador. She was 49th at the 2012 Olympics, 4th at the 2015 Pan American Games, and took silver at the 2010 South American Games.

Marko Albert is the best triathlete of Estonia during a long career beginning at the Olympic distance and switching to long distance. Albert took s 2nd places at the 2004 Rio de Janeiro World Cup and the 2006 New Plymouth World Cup and 21st at the 2004 Olympics. He finished 41st at the 2008 Olympics before switching to long course with greater success, taking 13th at the 2011 Ironman World Championship, 3rd at 2011 Ironman Austria and winning the 2014 edition of Ironman New Zealand.

The towering Ain Alar Juhanson is a close second thanks to two wins (2005, 2006) and a 3rd place (2008) at Ironman Lanzarote plus a win at the weather-shortened Ironman New Zealand (2006).

Pauli Kiuru is the greatest triathlete that Finland has produced. His pioneering use of heart rate monitor-based training, a scientific approach and calm demeanor inspired rival Greg Welch to offer a comic imitation of Kiuru as a robotic competitor. Closer to the truth was a coach’s Swedish phrase is i magen which literally means “ice in the stomach,” or another way to say “cool under pressure.”

Kiuru’s results were reliable excellence – a 4-time Ironman Australia winner (1991 through 1994), a spectacular victory over Ken Glah at Ironman New Zealand in 1990 by the closest margin in Iron distance history, and 1990 and 1991 wins at Ironman Germany. Kiuru also threatened Mark Allen’s 6-win streak at Ironman Hawaii, taking 3rd in 1992 followed by a brave attack in 1993 in which the Finn led The Grip until Mile 18 of the run before Allen surged past Kiuru for his 5th straight Ironman World Championship title.

France has produced many internationally renowned male triathletes in including Frederic Belaubre who was 5th at the Athens Olympics, won the 2006 Beijing World Cup and the 2008 European Championships; the late Laurent Vidal who was 36th at the Beijing Olympics and 5th at London, and 5th at the 2011 WTS Grand Final; and Vincent Luis who was 5th at the 2015 WTS Grand Final and took 2nd places at the 2015 Rio Olympic Test Event, 2015 WTS Abu Dhabi and 2014 WTS Hamburg.

But a notch above all these worthies is Isabel Mouthon who took gold at the 1994 and 2000 ITU long distance Worlds and silver at this championship in 1997.

She falls slightly behind Belaubre and Vidal’s 5th places at the Athens and London Olympics with her 7th at the 2000 Olympics. But on balance her excellence at short and long course prevails, capped by her 2nd place at the 1995 Ironman World Championship.

Jan Frodeno tops a phalanx of Teutonic triathlon talent. Most impressive, he is the only man or woman to win Olympic gold (2008) and the Ironman World Championship (2015). He also won silver at the 2014 Ironman 70.3 Worlds and gold at the 2015 Ironman 70.3 World Championships. To back up those shining achievements, he also won prestigious events such as 2015 Ironman Europe in Frankfurt and was 2nd at the 2014 Ironman 70.3 Worlds and 3rd at the 2014 Ironman World Championship.

Germany offers several men who rank only slightly behind: Jürgen Zäck was the original überbiker, whose 7:51:42 2nd place at the 1997 Ironman Europe was the second best at the distance at the time and still ranks 8th all time; Normann Stadler, who won Kona in 2004 and 2006 and whose 4:18:23 bike split in 2006 remains the best ever; Thomas “Hell on Wheels” Hellriegel, whose 1997 Kona victory was the first for a German and who waged fierce duels to the 23-mile mark of the run with Mark Allen in 1995 and Luc Van Lierde in 1996 before taking 2nd places; Faris Al-Sultan, who in 2005 became the first Muslim to win Kona; Sebastian Kienle, the next generation Überbiker who won the Ironman World Championship in 2014 and the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in 2012 and 2013; Andreas Raelert, who placed second at Kona in 2010, 2012 and 2015, and placed 2nd at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in 2008 and who holds the Ironman distance World best time with a 7:41:33 at Roth in 2011; Daniel Unger who won the ITU Olympic distance World Championship in 2007.

Like Australia, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S., Great Britain has a rich array of champions. As the standards of this list forbid ties, Great Britain presents the most painful dilemma. While recognizing that she has just an age group world title at the Olympic distance and a relatively short pro career (2007 through 2011) Chrissie Wellington is the choice for her absolute, quantum leap dominance of the Ironman distance. She won Kona four times (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011) and was undefeated in 13 starts at the Ironman distance. She broke Paula Newby-Fraser’s 17-year Kona women’s race record in 2009 and repeatedly broke the Ironman distance world best, culminating with her still-standing 8:18:13 mark at Challenge Roth in 2011.

The great Simon Lessing was painful coin flip final cut behind Wellington. He was dominant for years and was more of an all-rounder than Wellington. He won ITU Olympic distance Worlds gold in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1998 and silver medals in 1993 and 1999. He won gold at the 1995 ITU long distance Worlds at Nice in 1995 and took silver at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in 2006. He also won the 1994 and 1998 Goodwill Games and won Escape from Alcatraz three times.

Ranked just a fraction below Lessing is fellow Member of the British Empire recipient Alistair Brownlee who won gold at the 2012 Olympics, two ITU Olympic distance World Championships (2009 and 2011), gold at the 2006 ITU Junior Worlds and the 2007 Under 23 Worlds as well as the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Brownlee far surpassed Lessing’s Olympic result (9th in 2000) but Lessing gets the edge due to versatility and more world titles.

Britain’s honor roll includes many World champs. Jonathan Brownlee won bronze at the 2012 Olympics, gold at 2012 ITU World Championship series, silver at 2011 and 2013 ITU Olympic distance World Championship season series, and gold at 2014 Commonwealth Games; Leanda Cave won World titles at the ITU Olympic and Long Distance as well as Ironman and Ironman 70.3; Helen Jenkins won two ITU Olympic distance World Championships; Spencer Smith won the 1993 and 1994 ITU Olympic distance World Championships and bronze at the 1996 ITU long distance Worlds; Tim Don won the 2006 ITU Olympic distance World Championship and bronze at the 2014 Ironman 70.3 Worlds. Non Stanford won the 2013 ITU Olympic distance WTS Worlds; Catriona Morrison won two golds at ITU short distance Duathlon Worlds and two golds at ITU long distance Duathlon Worlds; Julie Dibens is a three-time XTERRA World Champion and the 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Champion.

Vassilis Krommidas is the most accomplished triathlete from Greece. He finished 33rd at the 2000 Olympics and 17th at the 1994 Ironman World Championship where he set a still-standing age group record of 8:55:02 for the 18-24 division. Other top results include 4th place at 1993 Ironman Austria and 8th place at 1997 ITU long distance Worlds in Nice.

Erika Csomor is the best triathlete/duathlete produced by Hungary. She won gold at the 2001, 2002 and 2004 ITU Duathlon Worlds and 7 Powerman Zofingen titles (2004 through 2010). She was 2nd at the 2007 ITU Long Distance Triathlon Worlds and at 2008 Quelle Challenge Roth in 8:47:08, and at 2001 ITU Duathlon Long Distance Worlds. She also has five sub-9 hour Ironman distance performances.

Peter Kropko was close. He was 2nd at 1990 Ironman Europe, 1st at 1992 Ironman Austria, 2nd at 1994 Ironman Europe, 7th at 1996 Ironman Hawaii, 1st at 1997 and 2004 Ironman Japan, and won Ironman Switzerland twice.

By a slim margin, Nina Pekerman is the best triathlete to compete for Israel. She won the women's division of the long distance Israman Triathlon in 2009 and 2014, she won gold at the 2005 Maccabiah Games and has respectable performances in European and U.S. Ironman distance events – 20th at the 2011 Ironman World Championship, 12th at 2011 Ironman Europe, 10th at 2010 Challenge Roth, and 8th at 2013 Ironman South Africa.

Ron Darman is still improving upon his 2015 win at the Hong Kong Asian Cup sprint, his 5th at the 2014 Cozumel World Cup, his 3rd at the 2014 Istanbul ETU European Cup, and his 5th at the 2010 ITU Triathlon World Championship Grand Final for Junior Men. Twin brothers Ran and Dan Alterman have dominated the Israeli National Championship. Ran won it five times and has a win at a World Cup race in the Philippines. Dan won the national title six times.