ACT Awards

• Spirit of ACT Triathlon Award – Luke Schofield
• Volunteer of the Year – Janet Preston
• Rad Leovic Award for Senior Contributor to Triathlon – Mary Sietsma
• Tennant Hoefer Hurman Medal Overall Winner Male – Luke Schofield
• Tennant Hoefer Hurman Medal Overall Winner Female – Susan Daniell
• Multisport Rising Star – Ally Chambers, Lesli Findlay
• Technical Official of the Year – Gaby Wade
• Inter Club Champion – Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club
• Pathway Athlete of the Year Female – Lara Dawson
• Pathway Athlete of the Year Male – Kami Schmutz
• Elite Performance Award – Jarrod Osborne
• Athlete’s Athlete Award – Andrew Walton
• Age Group Athlete of the Year – Georgie Hicks
• Para Triathlete of the Year – Sam Harding
• Performance Coach of the Year – James Thorp
• Club Coach of the Year – Susan Daniell
• Novice of the Year – Lexa Graham
• Endurance Spirit Award – Glen Sturesteps

Tim Bentley

When we talk of Victorian pioneers of our sport, one name stands out as probably the most successful Victorian triathlete in terms of race wins at both elite and age group level.

Like fellow legend Stephen Foster, Tim Bentley was at the sports beginning in Australia. Australian Sprint Champion in 1983, a foundation member of the Geelong Triathlon Club and Australian ‘Endurathon’ winner in 1986, Tim was an athlete with an incredible run. He frequently started the run ‘down the field’ and proceeded to run himself onto the podium at all levels. Like all ‘pioneer’ triathletes of the early period, Tim completed across all distances, winning at Sprint, Olympics and Long Course. In the golden age of our sport, Tim’s ability stood out and he ‘bested’ many of the superstars of the era.

Emma Carney

AusTriathlon Hall of Fame and inaugural ITU Hall of Fame triathlete, Emma Carney, dominated the mid 1990s in Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon. The first of the three World Champion ‘Emma’s’, alongside Snowsill and Moffat. Emma is a two-time World Champion, winning the 1994 world title by a record margin of 2 minutes 12 sections, was number one ranked athlete in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and recorded 19 World Cup wins, including 12 straight wins, during this period.

Her fellow athletes marvelled at her hard ‘all or nothing’ attitude towards training and competition. Forced to retire for health reason, Emma continued to be involved in the sport as a coach.

Stephen Foster

Stephen Foster is a AusTriathlon Hall of Fame athlete. He first competed in triathlon in 1983, and within a few short years was at the top of the sport in Australia. Steve was Triathlete of the Year three of the four years it was held in the 80s, as well as National Series Champion, five time National Olympic Distance Champion, and National Long Course Champion. Foster was the first Aussie male to have significant success over the best, beating Scott Tinley and Rob Barel in Australia, and finishing ahead of Dave Scott, Mark Allen and Scott Molina in the 1987 unofficial World Championships, going on to win the world’s biggest race, Chicago, ahead of Mike Pigg, truly cementing his place as one of the sport’s greats.

David & Penny Hansen

While the public face of Supersprint is David Hansen, those close to the sport know how important Penny Hansen has been behind the scenes. Both have been involved in the sport since its beginnings in Australia, with David quickly moving in administration with Penny after a brief stint as a pro triathlete. After starting the Captains Triathlon, and later Supersprint Port Arlington in 1987, Supersprint was formed and became the company that we all know well today. David was a foundation member of the Geelong Triathlon Club, and a foundating member of the predecessor to Triathlon Victoria, the Triathlon Association of Victoria.

Over a quarter of a century later, and Victoria leads the way in commercial racing with a level of professionalism that other states admire. A critical organisation to the sport, SuperSprint organised the inaugural 2000 Sydney Olympic Triathlon, as well as six ITU Triathlon World Cups leading up to the Olympics, staged five UCI Women’s Road Cycling World Cups in Geelong, over 10 Australian Championships, as well as races in Singapore and Fiji.

Jo King

Jo King first appeared on most triathlete’s radars in 1996, when she made the World Junior Team in Cancun. Nicknamed ‘the sponge’ for her dedication to learning to train and compete, it was not a surprise to most when Jo blitzed the junior scene to win the junior race the Cleveland ITU World Championships. In 1997, Jo went on to win the National Open Sprint title and record three top ten finishes at various World Cup races. The following year, Jo broke through into the senior ranks, winning the ITU World Championship in Lausanne. Jo moved easily into long course triathlon, winning the 1998 Frankston Australian Long Course Championships and finish second at the IRONMAN Forster in a world record female debut IRONMAN time in the same year. In 1999, Jo recorded a number of stellar results including fifth at the Montreal World Championships, a win at the Belgium World Cup, 2nd in the ITU Long Course World Championships, a win at IM Roth and 9th at Kona.

Rohan Phillips

Before becoming a triathlete, Rohan Phillips had more than ten years experience as a cyclist. After reading about cyclist John Howard’s third place finish at Ironman Hawaii in 1980, and then his win in 1981, Rohan was inspired to enter the event, despite having no swimming experience whatsoever. Four months later, Rohan won the 1981 Nautilus Melbourne Triathlon, winning a ticket through to the February 1982 Ironman Hawaii. With limited experience it’s no surprise his his overall placing on the day was thwarted by stronger competitors.

On his return to Australia, Phillips launched into an unbroken winning streak over a period of twenty or so months, recording wins at events like the 1982 Hastings Triathlon, 2918 Geelong Endurathon, 1983 Ocean Grove Triathlon, 1983 Gold Triathlon Triathlon, and the 1983 Coral Coast Triathlon among others.

The biggest impact Phillips brought to the sport was his indepdent approach; he wore skin suits made by Hillman Cycles long before others picked up on the idea, bolted cycling shoes to his bike pedals to make transitions quicker, and kept a nutrition diary. Phillips returned to cycling by the mid-1980s, but by then his renowned debut at Hawaii, alongside his innovations and his victories in Australia, had made Phillips’ career the stuff of triathlon folklore.

Peter (Robbo) Robertson

Peter Robertson burst on to the Australian triathlon scene at a time when Australian triathletes reigned supreme.

Robertson first came to the forefront of multisport as a 19-year-old in the infamous F1 series races that dominated Australian triathlon through the second half of the 90s.

Robbo, as he became known, outran the best runners in the game. However, it was the way he outran them that was most surprising, often making up deficits of 100 metres in one kilometre. Think Simon Lessing or Ali Brownlee or the dominance of Gwen Jorgenson and you’d be in the ballpark.

Robbo became Australia’s most successful Olympic distance triathlete. He finished second to Olivier Marceau at the 2000 ITU Worlds (sudden death back then) and backed this up with a win in 2001, 2003 and 2005 and a second-place finish in 2002.

Perhaps his most significant victory was Gamagori Japan in 2005. Robbo was a reserve and only made the team at short notice. Out of form and not expected to do well, Robbo got off the bike with the bunch and with a quick transition, he sprinted out of T2 gaining a 50-metre lead. The chasing pack expected him to fade, but Robbo held that lead to the finish line to claim his third World Championship.

Robbo also won the Sydney Olympic demonstration race destroying the opposition in a fashion which became his trademark ‘easing’ down the finishing chute.

From 2000 to 2008, Robbo qualified for every Australian team and was Australia’s most dominant athlete on the international circuit. He represented Australia at two Olympics and two Commonwealth Games, picking up a bronze medal in Melbourne (2006) behind winner Brad Kahlefeldt.

In 2015, Robbo was inducted into the ITU Hall of Fame alongside Michellie Jones, Emma Snowsill and Simon Whitfield.

Julie Tedde
Julie’s contribution to Triathlon Victoria and triathlon extends over 30 years.

• Spirit of ACT Triathlon Award – Luke Schofield
• Volunteer of the Year – Janet Preston
• Rad Leovic Award for Senior Contributor to Triathlon – Mary Sietsma
• Tennant Hoefer Hurman Medal Overall Winner Male – Luke Schofield
• Tennant Hoefer Hurman Medal Overall Winner Female – Susan Daniell
• Multisport Rising Star – Ally Chambers, Lesli Findlay
• Technical Official of the Year – Gaby Wade
• Inter Club Champion – Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club
• Pathway Athlete of the Year Female – Lara Dawson
• Pathway Athlete of the Year Male – Kami Schmutz
• Elite Performance Award – Jarrod Osborne
• Athlete’s Athlete Award – Andrew Walton
• Age Group Athlete of the Year – Georgie Hicks
• Para Triathlete of the Year – Sam Harding
• Performance Coach of the Year – James Thorp
• Club Coach of the Year – Susan Daniell
• Novice of the Year – Lexa Graham
• Endurance Spirit Award – Glen Sturesteps