Joining Lessing on the athletes list were former world champions Mark Allen from the United States and Australian Greg Welch while two-time women's world champions Emma Carney of Australia and American Karen Smyers joined New Zealander Erin Baker as the female inductees.

The announcements were made during the World Triathlon Series Grand Final in Edmonton which saw Spaniard Javier Gómez match Lessing's haul of four world titles.

The event also marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of the ITU, which moved its headquarters from Vancouver to Lausanne earlier this year.

Lessing, who was born in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to Great Britain when he was 18-years-old, represented his adopted country in international competition, including appearing at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games where he finished ninth during the sport's debut at the Games.

Prior to that, he had claimed four world titles in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1998, as well claiming a long-distance triathlon world title in 1995, along with seven ITU World Cup wins.

American Mark Allen was crowned the inaugural men's triathlon world champion in 1989
©Getty Images



Allen was crowned the inaugural men's triathlon world champion in 1989 in Avignon, France, and also has multiple ITU World Cup wins under his belt, as well winning six ironman world titles.

"This came as a surprise, actually," said Allen.

"It's kind of cool, it feels like my whole career has come full circle.

"The thing that inspired me to get into sports was watching the 1968 Olympics [in Mexico], and watching the swimmers go 1500 metres.

"I thought, 'How could a human being go that long?'

"So then I became a swimmer, and when I was done with swimming at age 22, I saw the Ironman on TV, and that inspired me to do triathlons."

Welch is also a former ironman world champion, while he replaced Allen as ITU world champion in 1990 and going on to add the Duathlon World Championship and long course World Championship titles to his CV in 1993 and 1994 respectively.

Welch's compatriot Carney won the women's world title in 1994 and 1997 and has amassed an 19 World Cup wins.

Smyers claimed her world crowns in 1990 and 1995, winning the long distance title the following year, while she also has seven World Cup wins to her name.

Karen Smyers joins five other former world champions in the ITU Hall of Fame ©Getty Images



Baker holds the honour of being the first ever women's world champion following her 1989 win before going on to add three World Cup victories.

"It is a great privilege to induct these nominees into the first Hall of Fame," said ITU President and International Olympic Committee member Marisol Casado.

"They set a standard of excellence from the very beginning that was crucial to the development of both triathlon and ITU.

"Without them, we would not enjoy the global level of exposure and Olympic standard of competition that we have today."

Meanwhile, the English McDonald, who emigrated to Canada 60 years ago, led the ITU from its formation in Avignon in 1989 until 2008.

He also served as President of Triathlon Canada from 1984 to 1996 and was the driving force behind getting triathlon on the Olympic programme for Sydney 2000. 

The sport has remained on the Olympic programme ever since.

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