Athlete Profile: Erin Baker

Erin Baker

New Zealand
Born: 1961

Starts

12

Podiums

10

Wins

10 Biography

Erin Baker MBE (born 23 May 1961) was born in 1961 in Kaiapoi, New Zealand. Baker is one of eight children, and her siblings include Phillipa Baker (New Zealand rower and 1991 Halberg award winner) and Kathy and Maureen who both won national titles in swimming and aerobics. She was originally coached by John Hellemans but controlled and developed her successful career by self-training, “I was self-trained. I just trained as much as my body would handle, and that was a shit load. I trained and trained, and I trained more if I had time. I never got injured so I would often do more in case somebody else was training while I was resting”.

Baker is widely considered as one of the best female triathletes of all time, she won a total of 104 of the 121 races she entered. Most times, she didn’t just win, but romped in by huge margins. Her ITU legacy includes becoming the very first ITU World Champion, at the 1989 event in Avignon, France. She also competed in the early days of the ITU World Cup Series, entering three races and winning those too.

Baker was named “Triathlete of the Decade” by American magazine Triathlete. The magazine commented on her success by saying, “We’ve stopped trying to figure Erin out, we just accept her as the best female triathlete that ever lived”. In the 1993 New Year Honours, Baker was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services as a triathlete.

Latest Athlete Results

1	1994 Wilkes-Barre ITU Triathlon World Cup 07 Aug, 1994 - Elite Women - 02:10:50
1	1994 Cleveland ITU Triathlon World Cup 07 Aug, 1994 - Elite Women - 02:03:19
DNS	1992 Frankfurt ITU Duathlon World Championships 07 Jun, 1992 - Elite Women - DNS
1	1991 Cathedral City ITU Duathlon World Championships 30 Nov, 1991 - Elite Women - 03:13:13
1	1991 Las Vegas ITU Triathlon World Cup 21 Sep, 1991 - Elite Women - 02:21:53
view full results

Avignon '89 World Champion Erin Baker guest stars on latest World Triathlon podcast

26 Jun, 2020
ITU announces inductees for inaugural Hall of Fame
As a part of its 25th year anniversary celebrations, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) today inducted seven individuals into its inaugural Hall of Fame on the penultimate evening of the…
01 Sep, 2014
ITU World Championships turns 25
August 6 marks the 25th anniversary of the very first ITU World Championships. For many of the pioneer triathletes who competed at the very first World Championships race in Avignon, they…
06 Aug, 2014
Catching up with the greats: The ITU's first World Champion Erin Baker
She's one of the greatest ever triathletes and we were lucky enough to catch up with the ITU's very first World Champion at the Auckland ITU World Cup, read ahead for the Q & A with New…
21 Nov, 2011
Inside Triathlon magazine picks the Greatest Women Triathletes
After selecting the greatest male triathletes of all-time last week, Inside Triathlon magazine unveils their picks for the greatest women of all-time. See which ITU stars made the list
15 Feb, 2011