- Chris McCormack (triathlete)
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Medal record 
Frankfurt 2008Competitor for 
AustraliaMen's triathlon ITU World Championships Gold 1997 Perth Individual ITU World Cup Gold 1997 Overall World Cup Ironman World Championship Gold 2010 Men's individual Gold 2007 Men's individual Silver 2006 Men's individual Chris McCormack (born 4 April 1973), also known as Macca, is an Australian triathlete. McCormack is a two time winner of the Ironman World Championship, winning the titles in 2007 and 2010, as well as the winner of the 1997 International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup Series and the 1997 Triathlon World Championships.[1]
Contents
Triathlon career
Early career
McCormack's early athletic career began in primary school where he participated in many team sports. He joined the school's soccer and rugby teams. McCormack's high school years were spent at Kirrawee High School, a public school in south Sydney, where McCormack continued his sporting endeavours winning several distinguished sporting awards including the NSW Sporting Blue for the best athlete in the state. McCormack won numerous Australian Athletic and cross country titles through secondary school, but was pushed by his parents to focus on education over sport. After graduating in the top 10% of the State, Chris decided to further his studies completing a Bachelor of Economics degree at the University of New South Wales.
McCormack raced his first triathlon while attending university. His success was sound and after winning two Australian Junior Triathlon titles. He raced his first Junior Triathlon World Championships in Manchester England, in August 1993 finishing in 4th place. His premature celebrations down the finishing chute cost him the silver medal in the race, allowing him to be passed by two competitors.
ITU racing
McCormack graduated University in October 1995, and in 1996 flew to Europe to race Triathlons internationally. He had immediate success racing for the Tricastan Triathlon Team out of France and winning 9 events on his first season abroad, including the ITU World Cup race in Drummondville, Canada. McCormack finished his first year as a professional ranked number 9 in the World by the ITU, with 6 top 10 finishes at World Cup races and some dominating performances on the tough French Grand Prix racing circuit.
McCormack entered the professional triathlon circuit in 1996, having won the Australian Junior Championship in 1993, and rapidly rose to success only eight months after his debut, taking the World No. 1 position, winning both the 1997 ITU Triathlon World Championships and the 1997 ITU Triathlon World Cup, the first male triathlete ever to win both titles (the double) in the same year. McCormack became the first man in history to ever win the ITU World Championships, The ITU World Cup series and be ranked number 1 in the World in a single season. McCormack would be ranked ITU World number 1 for more than 26 months in total.
McCormack was left off the Australia Olympic Team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics despite being the highest Australian on the world rankings (number 3). He left Australia for the USA, moving away from the ITU World Cup racing and into the U.S. racing scene. McCormack would remain undefeated in the USA for 3 years and 33 consecutive triathlon races.[citation needed] He won the Goodwill Games race against the top 30 athletes in the world and made clear his disapproval of Australian selectors decisions to leave him off the Olympic Team with his domination of short course triathlon racing in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was picked for the Australian Team to represent at the Commonwealth Games in England in 2002, and won 3 Triathlete of the Year awards for his racing during this period.
Before moving to Ironman distance races Chris won almost every major short course title on the global triathlon calendar including the ITU World Cup Series, Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon as well as some of the sport's most prestigious triathlon events: Goodwill Games, Mrs T's Chicago International Triathlon, San Diego International Triathlon, New York City International Triathlon and LA International Triathlon. He also became the first triathlete in a decade to capture the US Triple Crown. In 2001, Chris was again crowned Global Triathlete Of The Year and Competitor Of The Year and became the only triathlete ever to hold the USA Professional Championship Title and the USA Sprint Course Title in one season.
Ironman racing
In 2002, Macca shifted his focus to Ironman racing. He won Ironman Australia on debut in 2002 and then defended that title in 2003, winning again in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Macca's first race at the distance in Europe in 2003 eventuated in one of the sport's greatest races in Roth, Germany, where Macca was beaten in a sprint finish by Lothar Leder (winner of more than 13 Ironman events). Macca won the event eventually in 2004, followed by 2005, 2006, and 2007. He went under 8 hours in 2004 (7:57:50), 2005 (7:56:13), 2007 (7:54:22).
At the 2002 Ironman World Championships at Hawaii McCormack failed to finish the race on his first attempt. He finished in 2003 in 9:32:11, placing 59th. In 2004, he again failed to finish and abandoned into a race vehicle driven by six-time World Champion Mark Allen, who counseled Macca to race fewer iron-distance races during the year. In 2005, he was able to finish 6th with the fastest run split of the day. The next year, in 2006, McCormack finished Hawaii in second place. After Normann Stadler completed a new course record bike time of 4:18 Chris started the run some 10 minutes down. After running a 2:46 marathon time he was just 71 seconds behind Normann Stadler at the finish but he had given it absolutely everything he had.
McCormack became Ironman World Champion in 2007, with a winning time of 8:15:34, including a 2:42 marathon in very hot conditions. McCormack again won the 2010 Ironman World Championship, defeating two-time defending champion, Craig Alexander.
Olympic qualifying
Following his 2010 Ironman World Championship, McCormack focused his 2011 season on qualifying for Australia's 2012 Olympic team in triathlon. He stated, "it's the one thing in my career I regret, not making an Olympics."[2] In his first three ITU points races, in pursuit of full-filling his Olympic goal, McCormack would drop out of two races and finished 26th in the third.[3]
Controversy
In a post-race interview with Triathlete magazine, 2006 Ironman World Champion Normann Stadler accused Chris McCormack of having drafted during the cycling leg of the race despite the presence of a drafting judge near McCormack throughout the majority of the 112-mile ride. Stadler's comments came in stark contrast to the praise he had given McCormack immediately following the race. Having received the news, McCormack confronted Stadler, who initially denied the report, during a post-race party. McCormack later responded by challenging Stadler and 2005 World Champion Faris Al-Sultan (who agreed with Stadler's account of the race) to meet him at any race for a rematch.
Personal life
McCormack was born in Sydney, Australia on 4 April 1973, of a New Zealand-born mother (Theresa) and an Australian born father (Ken). Growing up in southern Sydney in the Sutherland Shire, he has both a younger and older brother.
McCormack married his long term girlfriend Emma-Jane in August 2003 and their first daughter Talia was born in January 2004. Their second daughter, Sienna Lily was born on 14 September 2006, at Kareena private Hospital in the south of Sydney.
McCormack lost his mother, Theresa, to breast cancer on 26 April 1999.
When he is not training, Chris enjoys surfing and relaxing with family and friends in his homes between Los Angeles and Sydney.
References
- ^ "Chris McCormack - Athlete Biography". International Triathlon Union. http://www.triathlon.org/athletes/profile/5814/chris_mccormack/. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ Lulham, Amanda (17 February 2011). "Triathlete Chris McCormack to have tilt at triathlon at 2012 Olympic Games". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/triathlete-chris-mccormack-to-have-tilt-at-triathlon-at-2012-olympic-games/story-e6frey6i-1226007480988. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Chris McCormack Results". International Triathlon Union. http://www.triathlon.org/athletes/results/chris_mccormack/551/. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
External links
World Champions in men's Ironman Triathlon Gordon Haller (1978) · Tom Warren (1979) · Dave Scott (1980) · John Howard (1981) · Scott Tinley (Feb 1982) · Dave Scott (Oct 1982) · Dave Scott (1983-1984) · Scott Tinley (1985) · Dave Scott (1986-1987) · Scott Molina (1988) · Mark Allen (1989-1993) · Greg Welch (1994) · Mark Allen (1995) · Luc Van Lierde (1996) · Thomas Hellriegel (1997) · Peter Reid (1998) · Luc Van Lierde (1999) · Peter Reid (2000) · Tim DeBoom (2001-2002) · Peter Reid (2003) · Normann Stadler (2004) · Faris Al-Sultan (2005) · Normann Stadler (2006) · Chris McCormack (2007) · Craig Alexander (2008-2009) · Chris McCormack (2010) · Craig Alexander (2011)
(women) World Champions in men's ITU Triathlon Mark Allen (1989) • Greg Welch (1990) • Miles Stewart (1991) • Simon Lessing (1992) • Spencer Smith (1993-1994) • Simon Lessing (1995-1996) • Chris McCormack (1997) • Simon Lessing (1998) • Dmitriy Gaag (1999) • Olivier Marceau (2000) • Peter Robertson (2001) • Iván Raña (2002) • Peter Robertson (2003) • Bevan Docherty (2004) • Peter Robertson (2005) • Tim Don (2006) • Daniel Unger (2007) • Javier Gómez (2008) • Alistair Brownlee (2009) • Javier Gómez (2010) • Alistair Brownlee (2011)
(women) World Cup Winners in men's ITU Triathlon Leandro Macedo (1991) • Andrew MacMartin (1992, joint winner) • Brad Beven (1992-1995) • Miles Stewart (1996) • Chris McCormack (1997) • Hamish Carter (1998) • Andrew Johns (1999) • Dmitriy Gaag (2000) • Chris Hill (2001) • Greg Bennett (2002-2003) • Dmitriy Gaag (2004) • Hunter Kemper (2005) • Javier Gómez (2006-2008)
(women) Categories:- 1973 births
- Australian triathletes
- Ironman world champions
- Living people
- Triathletes at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Australia
- People from the Sutherland Shire
- Sportspeople from Sydney
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