World Triathlon Hall of Fame Inductee

Rob Barel

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Rob Barel
Netherlands
Reasons for Nomination

Rob Barel, with a triathlon career spanning 18 years, including six Dutch National Championship titles, seven European Championship titles, the Nice Long-distance World Championship title in 1994 at the age of 40, four top five finishes at the Olympic-distance World Championship and two fourth place finishes at the Hawaii Ironman. Of the 245 triathlons competed, he has raced in 31 countries around the world and has won 113. Rob’s final competition was at the Netherlands 2000 Summer Olympics, securing forty third place, before taking retirement at the end of the Games at age 42.

Rob is now working as a marketing consultant, coaching in various capacities and to no surprise, still racing and training, albeit in a more low-key fashion. He recently finished first at the 2016 Snowy Mountains ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, 20th place at the 2015 NED Triathlon National Championships, 35th at the 2014 Zittau ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, first at the 2014 Sardinia ETU TNatura Cross Triathlon European Championships and secured fourth place at the 2012 Den Haag ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships.  

Biography

Rob Barel (born 23 December 1957 in Amsterdam) was originally a swimmer, but became a man of many firsts in the sport of Triathlon.
He won the first ETU European Championships in 1985 (Immenstadt), and followed this up with repeat wins in 1986, and 1987.
He then competed in the first ITU World Championships in Avignon, 1989 - finishing 5th - and then went on to come 3rd in the ITU World Championship in 1992 (Muskoka)

Barel won the first ITU Long Distance Championships in 1994 (Nice), and competed for the Netherlands in the first Olympic triathlon
at the 2000 Summer Olympics, taking forty-third place with a total time of 1:55:36.69 at the age of 42.  Incredibly,
He also crowned his career by coming first in the European Cross Triathlon Championship in 2008

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