Luc Van Lierde
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Luc Van Lierde (born April 14, 1969 in Brugge) is an athlete from Belgium, who has been competing in triathlon since 1990. He twice won the Hawaii Ironman competition, the most prestigious triathlon event, and became world champion, having won every other title in his discipline, only a gold medal from the Summer Olympics eludes him.
Van Lierde's international career started in 1990 when he came fourth in the World Quarter Triathlon Championships. In the full triathlon, which involves swimming 4 km, cycling 180 km and running a 42.2 km marathon, he was ranked among the first ten in the European Championships three times between 1990 and 1995. 1995 was a decisive year for Luc Van Lierde, when he became World Vice Champion in the triathlon event and came second in the European Quarter Triathlon Championships.
His reputation as one of the best in the discipline was established in 1996. He won the European Championships and came second in the World Championships in the Quarter Triathlon, won the Nice three quarters Triathlon and became World Triathlon Vice Champion. But above all, he won his most glorious title in Hawaii. Luc Van Lierde became the first European ever to win Ironman, the most prestigious Triathlon event in the world, beating the existing record by three minutes.
Luc Van Lierde went on to break the World Triathlon Championship record in 1997, doing 7.50 in Ironman Europe. Absent from the Ironman 1997 after undergoing an operation, he nevertheless won the Flemish Sports Personality of the Year trophy. In 1999 he once again won Ironman, outrunning the second placed competitor by six minutes. During that same year, he received the Giant of Flanders trophy awarded by the two Flanders section of the Association of Professional Journalists.
[edit] Major Achievements
- 1995: Silver medal at the World Championships
- 1996: European Champion
- 1996: Silver medal at the World Championships in the Quarter Triathlon
- 1996: Silver medal at the World Championships
- 1996: Winner Ironman (new record)
- 1997: World Champion (new record)
- 1999: Winner Ironman
| Preceded by Fred Deburghgraeve |
Belgian Sportsman of the Year 1997 |
Succeeded by Fred Deburghgraeve |
| Preceded by Fred Deburghgraeve |
Belgian Sportsman of the Year 1999 |
Succeeded by Joël Smets |
| Preceded by Peter Reid |
Ironman Triathlon World Champion (Mens) 1999 |
Succeeded by Peter Reid |
| Preceded by Mark Allen |
Ironman Triathlon World Champion (Mens) 1996 |
Succeeded by Thomas Hellriegel |
