Luc Van Lierde

Van Lierde's international career started in 1990 when he came fourth in the World Olympic Distance Triathlon Championships. In the full-length Ironman triathlon, which involves swimming 3.8 km, cycling 180 km and running a 42.2 km marathon, he was ranked among the first ten in the European Championships three times between 1990 and 1995. 1995 was a decisive year for Luc Van Lierde, when he took second place at the ITU World Championships, and came second in the European Olympic Distance Triathlon Championships.{{Cite web |date=30 June 2017 |title=Triatleet Luc Van Lierde over zijn triomfen en nederlagen: "Mijn palmares is niet af" |url=https://www.dezondag.be/sport/luc-van-lierde/ |website=dezondag.be |language=nl}}

In 1996 he won the European Championships and came second in the World Championships in the Olympic Distance Triathlon. He won the Nice Triathlon and became World Long Course Triathlon Champion. Luc Van Lierde became the first European ever to win the Ironman World Championship, beating the existing record by three minutes.{{Cite web |date=26 April 2022 |title=Hoe kon Luc Van Lierde als eerste Europeaan de Iron Man van Hawaï winnen? Wereldrecord belicht drie onderschatte factoren |url=https://sporza.be/nl/2022/04/26/hoe-kon-luc-van-lierde-als-eerste-europeaan-de-iron-man-van-hawai-winnen-wereldrecord-belicht-drie-onderschatte-factoren~1650967442959/ |website=Sporza |language=nl}}

Luc Van Lierde went on to clock the fastest Ironman Triathlon ever in 1997, doing 7:50:27 (0:44, 4:28, 2:36, plus transition) in Ironman Europe. Absent from the Ironman 1998, after undergoing an operation, he nevertheless won the Flemish Sports Personality of the Year trophy. In 1999, he once again won the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, outrunning the second placed competitor by six minutes. During that same year, he received the Giant of Flanders trophy awarded by the two Flanders section of the Association of Professional Journalists.

File:Luc_van_Lierde.jpg]]

In 2009, after more than 20 years as a professional triathlete, Van Lierde began a career as a triathlon coach. Frederik Van Lierde (not related) approached Van Lierde with the request to coach him. One year later he managed to coach Frederik Van Lierde to a third place at the 2012 Ironman World Championship. In 2013, he coached Frederik to the 2013 Ironman World Championship.

Van Lierde has successfully coached several other professional athletes, including Marino Vanhoenacker, Iván Raña, Will Clarke, Michelle Vesterby, and Saleta Castro.{{Cite web |date=2 June 2023 |title=Bekende vader Luc Van Lierde: ‘Ik heb veel moeten missen van Andrews kinderjaren’ |url=https://www.goedgezind.be/tieners/bekende-vader-luc-van-lierde-ik-heb-veel-moeten-missen-van-andrews-kinderjaren/ |website=goedgezind.be |language=nl}}

• 1995: Silver medal at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships, Nice{{Cite web |date=20 October 2022 |title=Triathlon - Luc Van Lierde |url=https://www.the-sports.org/luc-van-lierde-triathlon-spf3531.html |website=the-sports.org |language=}}
• 1995: Silver medal at the Europe Triathlon Championships, Stockholm
• 1996: Winner Ironman World Championship, Hawaii (new record; 8:04.08)
• 1996: Winner European Triathlon Championship, Szombathely
• 1996: Winner Triathlon International de Nice
• 1996: Silver medal at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships, Muncie
• 1996: Silver medal at the World Championships in the Quarter Triathlon
• 1997: Gold medal at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships, Nice
• 1997: Winner Ironman Europe, Nice (7:50:27, world record for Ironman event){{Cite web |date=18 May 2024 |title=IronMan Lanzarote |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820060036/http://www.ironmanlanzarote.com/UKProfessionalAthletes.htm |website=ironmanlanzarote.com |language=}}
• 1998: Gold medal at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships, Sado Island
• 1998: Second at the Ironman World Championship, Hawaii
• 1999: Winner Ironman World Championship, Hawaii (8:17.17)
• 2000: Winner St. Croix Triathlon (2k/55k/12k)
• 2000: Winner Superman Triatlon, Flanders
• 2003: Winner Ironman Malaysia (8:31.16)
• 2004: Winner Ironman Malaysia (8:48.02)
• 2006: 3rd at the Ironman 70.3 Monaco
• 2007: 2nd at the Ironman Lanzarote
• 2007: 8th Ironman Hawaii
• 2008: 2nd at the IronMan 70.3 Antwerp
• 2009: Winner Vienna City Triathlon

• Flemish Sportsjewel: 1996{{Cite web |date=11 December 2002 |title=Vlaamse Sportprijzen |url=https://www.vlaanderen.be/sarc/nl/vlaamse-sportprijzen-0 |website=vlaanderen.be |language=nl}}
• Vlaamse Reus: 1996, 1997, 1999 {{cite web |title=De Vlaamse Reus |url=https://vlaamsesportjournalisten.be/vlaamse-reus/ |publisher=vlaamsesportjournalisten.be |language=nl |publication-date=7 December 2023}}
• Belgian Sportsman of the Year: 1997, 1999{{cite web |date=18 December 2011 |title=Palmares Sportman van het jaar |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20111218_125 |publisher=De Standaard |language=nl}}
• Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1997 {{cite web |title=Red Lions volgen Nina Derwael op met winst van Nationale Trofee voor Sportverdienste |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20191107_04705232 |publisher=De Standaard |language=nl |publication-date=7 November 2019}}
• Belgian Sports Personality of the Year: 1999 {{Cite web |date=14 December 2008 |title=Sportpersoonlijkheid van het jaar |url=https://sportgala.be/nl/sportpersoonlijkheid-van-het-jaar/ |website=sportgala.be/nl |language=nl}}
• Honorary citizen of Menen: 2013{{Cite web |date=9 December 2013 |title=Frederik Van Lierde ereburger van Menen |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20131208_00877399 |website=Het Nieuwsblad |language=nl}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.lucvanlierde.com Personal website]
• [http://outside.away.com/magazine/1197/9711ass.html Outside magazine, November 1997]
• [http://www.triathlon.org/athletes/profile/luc_van_lierde/ Luc Van Lierde ITU Profile Page]

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Category:Belgian male triathletes

Category:Ironman world champions

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Bruges

Category:Triathlon coaches

Category:20th-century Belgian sportsmen