When the 2008 BG Triathlon World Cup season opens this Sunday in Mooloolaba, Australia, there will be more than a world cup title on the line. One prodigious Portuguese athlete will be bidding to become the most decorated triathlete in ITU’s world cup history. With 19 world cup titles, Vanessa Fernandes takes aim at a record-breaking 20th win. It would move her ahead of Australian great Emma Carney, who will be in Mooloolaba to see if her record will fall.
The Numbers
Perhaps most impressive with Fernandes is the furious rate in which she has racked up the titles. Mooloolaba this weekend will be just the 30th world cup start of her career. Simple math tells us that she’s won 19 of the 29 world cup races she’s entered, a staggering winning percentage of 0.655. Most athletes would be elated to be in the top ten in 65% of the races they enter. To win 65% of the races entered is almost unheard of. Fernandes has stood on the world cup podium a grand total of 22 times, in just 29 races. And she just turned 22 last September; two weeks after winning her first elite world championship, which probably looks nice on the mantle next to the four European titles she’s also collected.
The Victories
Six days after her 18th birthday, Fernandes won the 2003 Madrid ITU Triathlon World Cup and the winning has yet to stop, or even slow down.
World Cup Win #1 – September 21, 2003 - 2003 Madrid ITU Triathlon World Cup, Spain
World Cup Win #2 – September 19, 2004 - Madrid ITU Triathlon World Cup, Spain
World Cup Win #3 – November 7, 2004 - Rio de Janeiro ITU Triathlon World Cup, Brazil
World Cup Win #4 – April 24, 2005 - Mazatlan ITU Triathlon World Cup, Mexico
World Cup Win #5 – June 5, 2005 - Madrid ITU Triathlon World Cup, Spain
World Cup Win #6 – September 17, 2005 - OSIM Beijing ITU Triathlon World Cup, Beijing
World Cup Win #7 – November 13, 2005 - New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup, New Zealand
World Cup Win #8 – March 10, 2006 - Aqaba ITU Triathlon World Cup, Jordan
World Cup Win #9 – May 7, 2006 - Mazatlan ITU Triathlon World Cup, Mexico
World Cup Win #10 – June 4, 2006 - Madrid BG Triathlon World Cup, Spain
World Cup Win #11 – July 23, 2006 - Corner Brook BG Triathlon World Cup, Canada
World Cup Win #12 – September 9, 2006 - Hamburg BG Triathlon World Cup, Germany
World Cup Win #13 – September 24, 2006 - Beijing BG Triathlon World Cup, China
World Cup Win #14 – April 15, 2007 - Ishigaki BG Triathlon World Cup, Japan
World Cup Win #15 – May 6, 2007 - Lisbon BG Triathlon World Cup, Portugal
World Cup Win #16 – June 3, 2007 - Madrid BG Triathlon World Cup, Spain
World Cup Win #17 – July 29, 2007 - Salford BG Triathlon World Cup, Great Britain
World Cup Win #18 – September 16, 2007 - Beijing BG Triathlon World Cup, China
World Cup Win #19 – October 7, 2007 - Rhodes BG Triathlon World Cup, Greece
World Cup Win #20 – ???
The first win in Madrid 2003 was the closest margin of victory; just nine seconds ahead of Brazilian Mariana Ohata. The most convincing win was Mazatlan in 2005 when she finished 1:55 ahead of the rest of the field.
So what’s next? The record-breaking 20th world cup, whether that happens in Mooloolaba or not, it could happen fittingly at Madrid, the site of her first win. She’ll head to Vancouver, Canada to defend her world championship in June then will chase Olympic glory in Beijing.
Don’t forget to log onto triathlon.org for live coverage from Mooloolaba to see if the Fernandes legend will grow to new heights. Who will challenge her this weekend? Click here for full preview of the BG Triathlon World Cup season opener
Click here for Vanessa Fernandes’ profile
Click here for her career results
Click here to watch Fernandes’ victories from 2006 and 2007
Vanessa Fernandes savours her first world championship title in Hamburg last year