Terenzo Bozzone

Terenzo is not only one of the most popular athletes in triathlon, he also owns one of the most glittering multi-sport CVs.

The Kiwi is a five-time World Champion, a multiple IRONMAN winner and has over 30 half-distance titles to his name.

And as if that wasn't impressive enough, he has also battled his way back to the top spot of the podium after suffering career-threatening injuries in 2018.

Born in South Africa in 1985, he moved to New Zealand as a young boy and swimming was his first passion.

He says: "I was a competitive breaststroke swimmer, but when I was 13 I popped my eardrum wakeboarding and ended up having a seven-hour operation”.

Three more operations followed, and during this period he wasn't allowed in the water. "I had to find something else to channel my teenage energy, so I started doing duathlons and, when I was able to swim again, I started triathlons and have never looked back."

Bozzone won the Junior Men's Elite Duathlon World Championship in 2001 and 2002, and added victories in the Triathlon version in 2002 and 2003.

There have been so many highlights during his illustrious career, starting with the 70.3 World Championship in 2008 in Clearwater, Florida in what was then a fastest time of 3:40:10.

Fast forward nearly a decade, and he had enjoyed a best-placed sixth position at Kona in late 2017 before bagging a first win (after five podiums and 10 attempts) at IRONMAN New Zealand in 2018 with a course-record time of 7:59:57.

In that July however he was hit by a truck while cycling, and left with injuries which could have ended his career. Remarkably, he had recovered sufficiently to seriously considering returning to compete at Kona little over three months later.

But a training camp in Hawaii persuaded him to delay his comeback, with IRONMAN Western Australia in early December the new target.

So just five months after his accident, and with a 'warm-up' win at 70.3 Western Sydney under his belt, he completed one of the sport’s most dramatic stories with his third straight victory at Busselton.

No wonder, when asked what he is most proud of, he says: "Being a role model for my kids and inspiring the youth of today. But I am also proud of what I have achieved in the sport and the resilience I have had to show through my career”.