Global Triathlon Awards 2023: Iden and Duffy named Triathletes of the Year

Announced in late 2022, the first Global Triathlon Awards (GTAs) were presented on Friday 20th January 2023.

The awards were inaugurated via a collaboration between World Triathlon, Super League Triathlon and the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) alongside headline partners France’s Department 06 & cycling specialist Ekoi. Will history prove this to be the start of triathlon’s Oscars?

The event, hosted by the voice of Super League Triathlon, Will McCloy, and Great Britain’s former marathon world record holder, Paula Radcliffe, was held at the Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée, on the French Riviera. Quite an appropriate location, given the status that the city of Nice will have on global triathlon over the coming years.

The event was also broadcast live via TriathlonLIVE.

Norway and Bermuda

Blummenfelt Duffy Iden Global Triathlon Awards photo credit World Triathlon — Flora Duffy and Gustav Iden took the two main awards [Photo credit: World Triathlon / Global Triathlon Awards]

Ahead of the event, earlier this week I put together my thoughts on the potential direction of the Triathlete of the Year awards. Well, only a 50% success rate from me on that one, as the panel decided that the performances of IRONMAN World Champion, Gustav Iden, would put him as the top Norwegian of the year.

A record-breaking fourth World Triathlon Championship, alongside a second Commonwealth Games title saw Bermuda’s Dame Flora Duffy add another honour to her already impressive trophy collection.

The inaugural Lifetime Kudos awards found worthy homes in the hands of Bob Babbitt and Nicola Spirig – even if Nicola had to accept her recognition by pre-recorded video message.